Game Review: Spy Alley

Kerry Hammond is back reviewing mystery themed games, this time she takes a look at Spy Alley...


I love to play games. I’m always up for a game of Monopoly or Scrabble, and I usually take my Yahtzee dice with me on long trips (my husband and I have played it on many a train journey through Europe). My favorite thing is to combine my love of mysteries with my love of games. Clue is one of the best known whodunit games, but there are many out there to choose from. I own several games of detection and today I’d like to talk about the newest addition to my collection: Spy Alley, sold by Spy Alley Partners. The game can be played with 2-6 spies, and is geared toward ages 8 to adult.

Each player starts with a secret identity, known only to them. There are four items related to each identity: password, disguise, code book, and a key from the country on each spy ID card. Players must travel the board trying to buy each item on this list for the country where their spy is located. Then the player must land on the Embassy square for their country without being identified. Sounds simple, but there are many pitfalls, just ask any spy who ever tried to evade detection.

There are spaces on the board that help and hurt each player’s advancement, and players must be smart about collecting the four spy items. Collecting only the ones for your spy’s country would be too obvious, so players must also buy items from other spy lists to throw suspicion elsewhere. If you’re playing with only two players, you can each play two spies, which extends the game and makes it harder to be caught, since you have two lives. 

Spy Alley also comes as a dice game you can travel with. The rules are slightly different, and revolve around the roll of your dice to unmask your opponent, but it’s still a lot of fun.