PC CD-ROM minimum system requirements: 486DX/66 mhz; 8MB RAM; 30 MB hard disk space; DOS 6.0 or Windows 95; Dual speed CD-ROM drive; 16-bit soundcard; SVGA. £34.99
THIS is not like the James Bond movies. There are no fast cars, no gadgets, no harems of women and certainly no martinis - shaken or stirred. This is the real world and you are rookie CIA agent Thorn.
When a plot is uncovered to assassinate the US president you are given the chance to prove yourself as part of a four-person team. Then, while training for the mission, your commander is killed and you are elevated to his position, and total control.
With the President off to Russia to sign a nuclear weapons disposal treaty, your mission begins.
As one would expect, you have a plethora of advanced technology (no gadgets) as you first try to find out who exactly was behind the killing in Moscow of a similarly-threatened Russian presidential candidate.
Standard equipment is the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) and your briefcase. The PDA is your window to the world of information. Here you can access Comlink (for video, audio and text messages and your tasks to be performed), Datalink (for information on various intelligence agencies in the Spycraft world), Newslink (for connection to multiple news groups including the National Intelligence Daily) and the optional Weblink (which, if you have Internet access and Windows 95, connects you to the Spycraft Worldwide Web site).
Alongside these vital devices you will also have to master the Kennedy Assassination Tool (KAT). This is used to track the trajectory of bullets using computer modelling to plot its path and identify its origin. You will also need to study sounds and images using the Mix & Match and Sound Analysis utilities. Despite all these aids you still have to do some dirty work out in the field where your prowess with a gun will be tested.
Spycaft is hard to categorise in that it has many facets: at first it seems very complicated, but a cleverly designed system draws you into the plot before you realise it. With collaboration from Oleg Kalugin (former Major General of the KGB) and William Colby (former director of the CIA), Spycraft has, one would assume, a fair degree of authenticity. It certainly doesn't lack detail. If the world of international espionage fascinates you or you just like a good spy thriller, Spycraft gives you the chance to determine the balance of world power. Well, relatively speaking.
Graphics: 90%, Sound: 90%, Gameplay: 90%