Two Spies

Although the game may initially look complicated, its structure really isn't. Players in Two Spies are being trained as a secret agent, and they move around a map that lists European cities as they try to locate the other player -- and also try to hide. As they travel from city to city on the game board, there are a couple of ways to be incognito -- the deep cover mode, for instance, protects you until your next move. Generally, each turn involves going to a different city and either advancing to another location or potentially making a move. Players can also choose to see information that offers clues about where the other person has been on the board or might be now. If they guess their opponent's location incorrectly, try to strike, and their opponent isn't in that city, there's no real penalty. They can keep playing and just try again. Flashing dotted lines extend to the nearby cities you can go to during each turn, which makes gauging your options easy, and players can find out what's involved in potential moves by clicking on the corresponding card and reading a brief description. They can play against a random opponent, or face off against a friend online or in-person through an option that lets them pass one device back and forth.

The design is appealing -- there aren't a lot of bells and whistles, but the information is designed to look like case files, and the text is worded in a way that's reminiscent of older spy or detective movies. While the app sells a couple of items -- such as a Season's Pass, offering opportunities to win pins, which are basically character identities, and other extras -- to facilitate the gameplay, players don't need to buy anything. Two Spies isn't an extremely complex or constantly evolving game but the varied moves and steady stream of new opponents can make it consistently interesting, and players may enjoy trying to outwit their secretive opponent and win.