Spy Vs. Spy. It's a really simple concept, one of Mad Magazine's trademarks and a Game Boy Colour game I got as a freebie when I first bought one. [Those of us as old as me will also remember the Spectrum/Commodore 64 classic! Ancient Ed] Really good fun too it was, spies chasing you as you're trying to find that bear-trap in your back pocket, ready to throw it down at the precise moment to snare your pursuer. I was eager to check out the console version, as I thought that it might work well and top that classic trap 'em up, Tecmo's Deception - thanks to Chris for refreshing my memory of that classic. Many hours were spent watching unsuspecting people falling into my elaborate Japanese traps in Deception. I prepared myself for some similar action, with plenty of crazy traps and laughs aplenty.

Sadly, I couldn't have got any further away from my simple wish if I had tried. Even first person shooters have better traps than Spy Vs Spy, read: proximity mines. But let's back up there a moment. How does Spy Vs Spy play? Well, unfortunately, not very well. We have a couple of modes on offer, a story mode that offers little in the way of a story while being quite comical all the same. In fact, this is one of Spy's strongest modes but not quite the classic Spy Vs. Spy I was after. Then we have both Classic and Modern modes, but the Classic mode seems to offer something I have never played, whereas the Modern mode seems more like the classic Spy Vs Spy to me. I don't know though. The only trouble with the story mode is that it's more of a platforming game, meaning one of two things. The game is based around a platforming engine, meaning the trapping side of things is not going to excel - or that it's a jack-of-all trades and a master of none. I think the former, though sometimes I'd be inclined to go with the latter.

The single player story isn't essential anyway; you can play it to unlock new clothes and costumes to dress your Spy up in Mod-a-Spy mode - I have mine dressed up as a Jester. The other two modes, Modern and Classic, are where I hoped that all my trapping needs would lie. I mean, wouldn't it be comical to lay a couple of traps down and watch your foes walk right into them, while you carry on merrily?

While Spy Vs Spy hits a couple of nails on the head, it misses too many for my liking. The modern mode sees you and three other spies battling it out, laying traps down and finding all four secret items, which are hidden in safes. Once one of the four spies has all four secret items the game ends. And sure, that bit makes sense and actually offers some fun. However, it's the major disappointments that really get to me deep down. I go into a room, lay a mine down, I also stick an acid bucket on the top of the door, along with a boxing glove in one of the many safes scattered around the level. And then I sneak off, leaving no trail behind me - because, when you walk slowly, you don't leave any footsteps, pretty good idea.

I then get back to my own base, heal myself up with the unlimited medi pack and spend some of my money on some of the traps and weapons on offer. What's this I see in the bottom left hand corner? Red Spy killed by White Spy? Well wait a minute, I'm White Spy. And then you remember, must have been one of those traps you laid a couple of minutes ago. I think to myself, I think - what an unsatisfying kill that was. Being told by a message on the screen. Why couldn't we see some type of picture in picture action? Why can't we see the Red Spy getting pummeled by one of the traps the White Spy cleverly laid down? Part of the fun is to be able to think "yes, that dumb spy walked right into that trap of mine," but then that part of the fun disappears when you don't know which trap the numbskull fell for.

That's the single most uninspiring thing in this game; it doesn't do itself any favours and you don't feel like killing people with traps when there's little in the way of satisfaction there in the first place. It's just as well, as the traps on offer aren't too good anyway. Traps are made up of three categories - Mines, Door Traps and Safe Traps. These traps are self-explanatory and do exactly what you'd expect. Trap the door and unsuspecting spies die upon opening; trap the safe and spies get a nasty surprise when they open her up; lay a mine and watch it explode when a spy gets near. Some mines offer some differences, you have remote mine, proximity mines, mines with beams and all of the usual stuff. The trouble is that none of these traps work particularly well. There aren't many doors in any one level and sometimes going through rooms with doors isn't necessary, which pretty much screws the whole trapping doors scenario.

The only time I would consider trapping a door is if I knew a spy was following me - so I'd run through a door and then trap it. This is where radar would come in handy and add a lot of depth. You don't know where people are, so you can't prepare, which takes away potential depth, it's just not fun at all. Of course, your spy can fight face to face with a couple of crazy weapons - but seriously, if we're going to kill each other with guns, why not play an FPS? Classic mode isn't too good, it's more of the same, finding items and then winning - with less traps and no hideouts.

Graphically the game doesn't do too badly. There are some nice creeping animations for when you're walking slowly, so you don't leave a trail. There are also some nice expressions that the spies pull from time to time and levels are broken up with FMVs, presumably made by the same guy who makes the cartoon on MADtv. A couple of cel-shaded booms and over the top lettering with over the top animations for trap triggers, it's just a shame we don't get to see these traps in action when we leave them be. All in all though, the graphics leave the game feeling cartoony, probably the angle that they were going for in the first place.

The sound isn't bad either, but some things get repetitive, such as the music. But the music is good before it starts taking its toll, a cross between carnival and espionage, and I love the overall effect. There are no voices for the spies, just little evil laughs and grunts, which doesn't particularly matter anyway, with no real story. Explosions and weapon effects don't sound too bad, but don't expect anything on par with other games that use similar weapons!

With Spy Vs. Spy we have a nice concept ruined by sloppiness. No picture action means that the player is left feeling uninspired to lay down traps, thus taking away the whole point in the trap-laying game mechanics. There is a multiplayer mode and you can take your spy online, but I tried many times to find a game online and came back with all my traps intact. If one spy sits down, chucks his hat down and gives up completely, what does the other spy do? Probably goes and plays Halo 2, that's what!

Reviewed by Dexter Pearson for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).