By Brad Cook

DATELINE: Moscow, Aug. 15, 1986. The cell is cramped. It reeks of the wet smell of decay. Bad things happened here in the past. Let’s just say I’ve had better accommodations.

A mere 12 hours ago, I was on a plane bound for Moscow, thanks to a tip from my old pal Sergei. Something about a meeting between the Soviet president and a CIA agent at the mausoleum where they keep Lenin’s casket. Sounded like a great photo op, along with a likely cover story when I returned.

Setting the Stage

Cold War

Getting into the mausoleum wasn’t too difficult. A few guards were hanging around, of course, but I managed to give them nice naps courtesy of the rubber bullets I cobbled together from some plastic bottles and regular bullets. I wasn’t about to give anyone The Big Sleep, I just wanted to do my job.

I dispatched the guards inside the mausoleum the same way and found a cozy spot where I could watch the meeting. I had my trusty camera ready to document the big event. I could hear them announcing my name as a Pulitzer Prize nominee.

Universal Binary

Then something went seriously wrong. Some guy and the Soviet president were there, along with a woman. I figured Sergei could help identify the unknown participants, so I prepared to snap a shot. That’s when I realized my camera had been switched sometime after I arrived: I saw everything as if it was an x-ray.

Taking a Wrong Turn

I had a hunch that clicking the button while the camera was pointed at people might not be a good idea, so I decided to see what would happen with a fire extinguisher. Okay, it wasn’t the smartest move, but I discovered that my new toy did indeed possess a lethal ability.

After the fire extinguisher exploded, a guy named Barinsky burst into the room, along with a few of his Spetsnaz (Russian special forces). It turned out that the meeting involved Alexander Grushkov, the head of the presidential guard, and Sonya Yakovleva. Barinsky announced that they arranged the get-together so I could assassinate the president. Of course, he’s the head of the KGB, so who’s the president going to believe?

He also claimed that I secretly work for the CIA. I didn’t have time for that bombshell to sink in, though, because I had no plans for a Siberian vacation. I pointed the camera at another fire extinguisher and clicked, using the confusion to slip away. Getting out of the mausoleum wasn’t easy, but the camera proved useful for figuring out where the guards were located. My rubber bullets also came in handy for moments when I couldn’t sneak around the bad guys. And I evaded those security cameras with ease.

I knew my engineering expertise would come in handy one day.

From Frying Pan to Fire

Escaping the mausoleum should have ended this nightmare, but as you already know, it didn’t work out that way. Just when I thought I was home free, Barinsky’s car popped out of the darkness. He ran me down and knocked me out.

I woke up in this cell, missing all my possessions except a pencil stub and scrap of paper. They stuck Grushkov in the cell across from me. He says we’re in Lubyanka, the infamous KGB headquarters.

Then a few minutes ago, he overpowered a guard, knocked him out, and took the keys. We’re free, but I don’t know how far I can trust this guy. He’s telling me to come with him. He knows the layout of this place and I don’t. That gives him an advantage I could never have on my own.

I know I need to follow him, but something is seriously rotten in the state of Denmark. I just hope the play’s the thing for Grushkov, and we can expose Barinsky’s subterfuge. If you’re reading this, we succeeded. But it wasn’t easy.

Carrying drugged soldier.

Mission: Nearly Impossible. Don’t leave an unconscious foe where a security camera could see him, or the alarm will sound.

Note: This game was previously available in the US, so you may still be able to find it at your favorite retail store.

Game Media

Firing gun in gased room.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. Notice the red square in the lower right corner: it means the guards are on high alert.

Staircase to doors.

Following a Lead. On second thought, maybe Matthew Carter shouldn’t have acted on that hot tip.

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System Requirements:

 

Tools of the Trade

Gameplay highlights.

Matthew Carter may well be the MacGyver of the journalism world, thanks to his ability to turn mundane items into various gadgets and weapons. Collect the briefcases and folders you find scattered around the game to amass tech points, which in turn allow you to acquire the blueprints used to build your arsenal.

You’ll find those aforementioned mundane items sitting on desks, floors, and other spots, as well as on the bodies of guards and others you knock out or kill. You can only carry so much in your inventory at any given time, so if you find yourself maxed out, enter the assembly screen (press F2) and see what you can build that will free up space.

Carter’s basic tools include rubber bullets, ether-soaked rags that will knock out an enemy, ether mines that knock out anyone nearby when they explode, and a “box of tricks” that attracts enemies’ attention. From there, he can build more complex items, such as an expanded gun magazine made from cans or a camera zoom lens constructed of appliance parts.

His gun, which fires regular or rubber bullets, isn’t his only weapon, however. Carter can also assemble a makeshift sling that he uses to launch grenades, tracking devices, and darts that knock an enemy unconscious or cause confusion.

Of course, his greatest asset is his ability to sneak past enemies without alerting them to his presence. Gunshots and explosions will bring nearby guards running, so it’s typically better to slip past an immediate threat, or knock him unconscious. Anyone you knock out will wake up eventually, but you can give them anesthetics that prolong their sleep.

Watch the gauge in the lower right-hand corner of the screen: The higher the blue bar goes, the more visible you are to anyone nearby. In addition, the box below it shows you nearby guards’ alert level: green means they don’t know you’re there, yellow indicates that they’ve heard or seen something but aren’t sure what it is, and red sends them actively looking for you. Your best bet in the second or third situation is to hide somewhere for a few moments, until the square becomes green again.

Story mode is the normal way to play the game, but there are other options: Time-Run challenges you to finish each level within a certain amount of time; Pacifist expects you to complete the game without killing anyone; and Ghost is the one if you want to set off as few alarms as possible.