Gameplay follows a typical inventory-based adventure, although for some reason you cannot use the mouse, so you must use the keyboard only to move around and interact with the environment. Similar to Alone in The Dark, objects you can interact with are shown in a small window when you are close to them, and pressing ESC brings up an action menu you can toggle to get, open, move, give, etc. The number of verbs in the menu makes this interface very unwieldy, and using items in your inventory is a cumbersome process. Also, the game is played from an isometric perspective, where Jeff can only walk in four cardinal directions. This very outdated design makes moving very frustrating in confined areas, and several times I had to repeatedly hit the arrow keys to get Jeff "unstuck" from the wall. Interface weakness aside, though, Secret Mission serves up an interesting espionage thriller, with many plot twists and turns, shady characters, and several ulterior motives. The puzzles are, for the most part, logical, although some (such as decrypting the hierogryphics) are quite interesting. Overall, an above-average adventure that fans of the genre should take a look, although don't expect another Last Express.