Secret Agent Man
Sorry for the sexist title; women, feel free to read that as "Secret Agent Woman." Do you, like every other person on the face of the Earth, dream of being a secret agent? Of course you do! If you said no, then you're no doubt a liar and your pants should be burned accordingly. For those that willingly accept their dreams of becoming the next James Bond, Interpol is the game for you. Will it make you an actual spy? Well no, not really. However, it will make you feel really, really cool.
At its heart, this product is one of the seek and find variety, but its presentation is where it really shines. Its presentation is among the best - if the not the best - that I have ever seen. I am, however, a total secret agent fanatic, so I may be more than a little biased. Still, even those that would deem Mission Impossible type stuff as "not their thing" will undoubtedly be impressed by the stellar job done on Interpol. The entire interface is styled after a PDA, which your character takes wherever he or she goes, in order to recieve crucial updates about the mission from Ted Ryan, the International Director of the agency. Speaking of the mission...
Your Mission, If You Choose To Accept It
A master criminal that mysteriously dropped off the radar after the Cold War has just resurfaced and is now more dangerous than ever. His name is Dr. Vladimir Chaosky and he goes by the name of Dr. Chaos. Now, if the name "Dr. Chaos" doesn't just scream "Bond villian," than I don't know what does. Your quest to bring in the nefarious doctor begins in Moscow. Good luck, agent. (I just couldn't help myself.)
Search High and Low
Since spies and information gathering go together like peanut butter and jelly, it only makes sense that this game would end up being a seek and find game. You'll travel all across the globe, hunting for objects in various exotic places. Everything leading up to the level itself is superbly done and looks like something straight out of Mission Impossible. The actual levels themselves are pretty standard, but they're solid and can be extremely fun.
After finding all of the items I need to find in the first three locations, I was presented with a "spot the difference" type mini-game. This proved to be both fun and difficult, and really helped to break up the action.
Mission Accomplished
I realize that I spent more time talking about the game's presentation than I did the game itself, but that's just because I love it that much. Playing Interpol actually made me feel pretty cool and it definitely felt like I was experiencing some top-secret stuff. However, the gameplay here definitely holds its own and, when combined with the stellar art direction and atmosphere, make this product a definite must buy for anyone who's even a remote fan of secret agent stuff.
