In recent years, I’ve had this low-key desire to someday become a spy. (Hah! I think I’ve read too many WWII novels or something.) When I stop to think about it, I suppose the spy life isn’t truly for me. But taking on another identity sounds so adventurous and exciting, doesn’t it?

Today’s review is all about Spy Alley! This simple deduction game gives me the opportunity to try out my bluffing skills on my kids at a low-stakes level; no government agencies are counting on me to deliver an important package to a dead drop under the cover of darkness.

My mother-in-law bought us this game for Christmas years ago. I had never heard of it and was a little skeptical that we would get much play time out of it, but it has truly been a light, fun addition to our game collection! These last two weeks, the boys have brought it out multiple times, and they’ve even taught some friends how to play.

Spy Alley definitely has Monopoly vibes. Thankfully, it is MUCH shorter than a typical Monopoly game, and you get the added fun of bluffing/trying to deduce the identities of the other players. This doesn’t have super high ratings on BGG (5.7 avg), but it has most certainly become a Mitchener family fave.

For me, there is one “con” in this game. It’s entirely possible to get eliminated fairly early if someone makes a lucky guess about your identity. If the rest of the game goes long, any eliminated players must obviously wait to start another round. My kids have generally found that it’s worth the wait!

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Number of Players: 2-6

Age: 8+

Playing Time: 30ish minutes

Object: Take on a secret identity, collect the necessary items for your country, and make it to your embassy before you are discovered by the other players.

Rules Rundown: Here’s a link to a digital copy of the official rules.

Deal a secret identity card out to each player. Pass out scorecards and $10 times the number of players. Simply roll the die and move your character the correct number of spaces. You can buy any item you land on (or win a free gift) in order to collect the password, disguise, code book, and key for your country. Each time you pass go, you collect $15.

The point of the game is to buy “extra” items to throw opponents off your scent. For example, if you are Russian, you may want to buy German and American items as well, placing them on your scorecard in order to keep your identity hidden.

At any point, instead of taking your turn, you can try to guess an opponent’s identity. If you guess correctly, your opponent is out of the game, and you collect all of his or her money, cards, and scorecard items. In addition, you have an important decision to make: will you take on your opponent’s identity to try to throw everyone off, or will you stick with your original identity?

If you try to guess an opponent’s identity and you guess incorrectly, unfortunately you are out of the game. There is one exception to this immediate elimination. If you land on the Spy Eliminator Space, you receive a “free guess” on any player who is also in Spy Alley. If you guess wrong, there is no penalty!

Ratings:
Scott – 8/10
Ang – 8/10
Noah – 10/10
Leyton – 8/10