Parents' Guide to

Spy Kids: The Underground Affair

By Jinny Gudmundsen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Puzzle fun featuring the Spy Kids.

Game Windows , Mac 2004
Spy Kids: The Underground Affair Poster Image

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What you will—and won't—find in this game.

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What’s It About?

Juni and Carmen Cortez, stars of the Spy Kids movie franchise, are back on the computer in SPY KIDS: THE UNDERGROUND AFFAIR, which integrates paper-and-pencil puzzles with onscreen adventure and activities. Carmen and Juni are assigned to a case involving the disappearance of rare anti-gravity ore.

Throughout the CD-ROM adventure, the story pauses and sends players to find access codes in the accompanying 32-page \"Official Spy Codebook.\" Players need to work through word searches, word unscrambles, math puzzles and the like, using a pen or pencil, to find the codes. The adventure also involves children in eight interesting interactive puzzles (each has three levels of difficulty). In one activity, they must align crystals in a grid so that the crystals conform to specified rules relating to color and shape.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

The story unfolds through a series of cartoon-style illustrations. Characters talk to you, but there is minimal animation.

Many software adventures weave interactive puzzles into their story line. This software is different because it integrates pencil puzzles with interactive ones.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about which style of puzzle is most challenging, and which is most enjoyable. Which do you like better -- playing Spy Kids games or watching the movies? Why?

Game Details

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