Spy vs. Spy

Overview

Spy vs. Spy is a competitive multiplayer game based on the long-running MAD Magazine comic strip about two rival spies who are otherwise identical but for the color of their hat and trenchcoat. Befitting the comic's running gag, the goal of the game is to trick the opponent into blowing themselves up while the player character absconds with the valuable documents via an airplane.

Developed by First Star Software, the game would eventually make its way onto many systems active in the 1980s.

Gameplay

Players must check furniture in each of the game's many rooms, collecting three necessary items before heading to the exit to the airport to defeat their opponent. Players can also find trap items that they can plant in locations to trick their opponent: once the same furniture is checked, the traps will momentarily remove them from play. If the two spies meet in the same room, they cannot search furniture or plant traps. Instead, they can either duke it out until one of the two spies is temporarily eliminated or one of them can flee.

Each spy has a personal countdown timer. When a spy is defeated they drop all their items, and are forced to sit out of the game for a few moments while their timer is depleted at a faster rate. The timer depletes 30 seconds per death.