CounterSpy

CounterSpy is a stylized side-scroller that looks great; has a nice, bouncy musical theme; and is just plain fun. It's intuitive to play before the challenge ramps up as players progress. Lots of games promise to put you in the shoes of James Bond-like spies, but very few attempt to capture the spirit and flair of the Cold War the way this game does. The angular lines of the nameless spy provide an innate sense of stealth that oozes from the screen during each base infiltration. You can choose to be stealthy or go in guns blazing, but you still feel like a super-spy in possession of secret weapons and gadgets to help you achieve your mission.

The clever hook of searching through bases for documents and secret plans will scratch the covert itch for many players as they try to prevent both the Imperialists and Socialists from achieving their goals. What's even better is the surprising competitive play; based on how well players do on a mission, they receive an overall score for their campaign, which factors into a global leaderboard. At any time, you can attempt to best the score of a particular mission, giving you the opportunity to earn bonus cash and gear. It's this element that adds a sense of multiplayer competition in a game that's really a single-player experience. Overall, CounterSpy is big on personality with a nice mix of fun thrown in; it doesn't take itself or its time frame seriously but focuses on an entertaining spy experience.