Many characters, including well-known historical figures such as Marie Curie, behave in extremely implausible ways, merely for the convenience of the plot and puzzle designs. A small set of mini games gets recycled ad nauseam, crowding out better parts of the game. Unfortunately, both gameplay and story also take many tedious diversions. Not surprisingly, the game features beautifully detailed scenes and character animations as well as extensive replay value due to alternative endings. The game's lead designers are Hal Barwood and Noah Falstein, best known for their work on LucasArts' classic Indiana Jones series. Yet, in reality, Mata Hari was a relatively powerless commoner-a dancer, a courtesan, and just briefly a spy-who was tried for treason and died by firing squad during World War I.Ĭranberry Production's Mata Hari (also known as Mata Hari: Betrayal is only a Kiss Away) continues in the tradition of spinning an exotic spy story that only dabbles in history. She is perennially reinvented as a femme fatale in screenplays, books, and even video games. The same maxim seems well suited to the fate of the Dutch-Frisian historical spy Mata Hari.
'You only live twice' is one of the great catchphrases of spy fiction.
