David Wolf: Secret Agent

Last updated: January 9, 2026

Overview

David Wolf: Secret Agent is an interactive spy adventure game developed by Dynamix and released in 1989¹. Billed as an “interactive movie,” the game was designed to have “the look and feel of a James Bond film”² and represented Dynamix’s ambitious attempt to create an adult-oriented story with real actors³. The game combined digitized 3-D graphics with action sequences, featuring what Dynamix called a “VCR Interface” that allowed players more control over vital game playing elements⁴.

David Wolf: Secret Agent was one of the early games to combine full-motion video with traditional gameplay, created using the Dynamix Game Development System⁵. The game featured digitized actors and rotoscoped animation, representing everything Dynamix had learned over their first five years of development and was described as “by far the biggest project Dynamix has ever developed”⁶. Despite its technical ambitions, the game could be completed within half an hour and featured only six areas where players could use keyboard or joystick controls⁷.

Game Info

Developer: Dynamix¹ Designer: Damon Slye, Greg Scheid, Jeff Tunnell, Kevin Ryan⁴ Publisher: Dynamix¹ Platforms: DOS, IBM PC, MS-DOS, Tandy¹ Release Year: 1989 Series: David Wolf Sierra Lineage: Core Sierra

Story Summary

The game follows David Wolf, a secret agent serving an intelligence agency named Peregrine⁸. The main antagonist is Bruno Vasto, described as “a madman” who “has stolen the experimental SF-2 stealth fighter and threatens to blow up Washington D.C.!”¹ A criminal organization called Viper has stolen a SF-2a “Shadowcat” stealth fighter and kidnapped its chief designer, Dr. Kelly O’Neill, intending to deliver a nuclear bomb to Washington, D.C.⁸

During his mission, David Wolf learns that the Stealth fighter is to be launched from Drax Island, west of Cyprus⁹. The game features typical spy thriller elements, with the villain delivering megalomaniacal dialogue such as “Now, I can RULE THE WORLD!! HAHAHAHA!”¹⁰ Players are advised with humorous warnings like “Do NOT call the evil madman ‘fatso’“¹⁰.

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

David Wolf: Secret Agent features Dynamix’s innovative “VCR Interface,” which was created “to minimize player frustrations” and “allow players more control over vital game playing elements to suit their styles”⁴. This interface allowed players to navigate through the game’s content in a non-linear fashion, similar to controlling a VCR⁵. The game supports both keyboard and mouse input, with joystick support for action sequences³.

Structure and Progression

The game contains four 3D action simulations: Hang Gliding, Sportscar driving, Fighter Simulation, and Skydiving⁵. These action sequences allow players to attempt various feats for David Wolf, such as “flying a hang glider while shooting down enemies, racing down a highway while dueling with enemy cars and helicopters, or landing on an enemy parachutist or landing on top of a moving truck”⁸. Between action sequences, the game presents digitized cinematic cutscenes with bitmap and 3D animation⁵.

Puzzles and Mechanics

The game featured limited player interaction, as “players cannot select or influence the actors’ dialogue, nor select actions for the hero to try to complete”⁷. The gameplay primarily consisted of watching cutscenes interspersed with brief action sequences. The game used polygon-filled graphics for its 3D segments and featured digitized images with real actors for story sequences⁵.

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

Publication	Score	Notes
The Games Machine (UK)	97%	February 19904
Dragon	3/5 stars	Reviewed by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser, February 199011
Computer Gaming World	Negative	”The game had too few action sequences, and the initially witty dialogue became inane and unintentionally funny”11

Computer Gaming World was particularly critical, stating that “the game would not be worth playing more than once”⁹. The publication was so disappointed with the game that it later ranked David Wolf: Secret Agent as the “40 Worst Game of All Time” in November 1996⁶.

Modern Assessment

Modern reviews have been mixed. MobyGames users rated it 75%³, while Glitchwave gave it 2.50/5.0¹². PixelatedArcade assigned it a grade of C-¹³. Some modern players appreciate its historical significance, with one reviewer noting the “Great OPL3-ish soundtrack, it really fits in the game!”¹⁴ However, others criticize it for being “too generous” to accept Dynamix’s description of it as an interactive movie¹⁵.

Development

Origins

David Wolf: Secret Agent was the first self-published game by Dynamix⁵, representing their exploration of interactive narrative techniques during the late 1980s³. The development team wanted to create an adult-oriented story with interesting characters, fulfilling what they described as a long-held design fantasy³. The game was intended to be “an interactive James Bond movie”¹⁵.

Production

The game featured voice acting from several cast members, including Greg Scheid as David Wolf, Angela Clement as Kelly O’Neal, J.J. as Bruno Vasto, Duayne White as Garth Stock, and Kevin Dahlstrom as Tom Boor⁴. The development team included wireframe 3D programming by Damon Slye⁵ and used the Dynamix VCR interface engine¹.

Technical Achievements

The game supported multiple graphics modes including CGA, Tandy, EGA, MCGA, and VGA, with 16-color EGA being the primary display mode³. It featured Roland MT-32 sound support and was distributed on multiple 5.25” floppy disks³. The game used Smart Sun system for automatic game configuration and combined adventure game elements with arcade-style action sequences⁵.

Legacy

David Wolf: Secret Agent’s legacy is complicated by its poor critical reception. Computer Gaming World not only named it one of the “40 Worst Games of All Time” but also gave it the “#8 Worst Back Story of All Time” award in November 1996⁶. Despite this harsh criticism, the game represents an important early experiment in interactive narrative and full-motion video gaming.

The game’s development philosophy was notable for its player-friendly approach. The developers stated: “We have talked to game developers that purposefully design in frustrating points to make game play last longer, so the players feel they get more for their money. This is diametrically opposed to the direction we are taking with our products”³. This philosophy influenced Dynamix’s later, more successful projects.

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

• GOG Dreamlist - Community wishlist
• Available on Steam as part of retro collections

Download / Preservation

• Internet Archive
• MyAbandonware

Series Continuity

• Previous: None (first in series)
• Next: No direct sequels produced

References

Footnotes

1. Internet Archive – - Game metadata and release information ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

2. Atari Magazines – - Contemporary review describing game concept ↩

3. MobyGames – - Development background information ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

4. Dynamix Fandom – - VCR Interface description ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

5. Collection Chamber Blog – - Technical development details ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

6. MobyGames Trivia – - Development scope quote ↩ ↩² ↩³

7. ClassicReload – - Gameplay limitations ↩ ↩²

8. OldGames.sk – - Character and agency details ↩ ↩² ↩³

9. Wikipedia – - Story progression details ↩ ↩²

10. MobyGames Screenshots – - Villain dialogue example ↩ ↩²

11. Wikipedia – - Dragon magazine review ↩ ↩²

12. Glitchwave – - Modern rating ↩

13. PixelatedArcade – - Grade assessment ↩

14. James Paddock Bandcamp – - Soundtrack appreciation ↩

15. The Digital Antiquarian – - Critical modern assessment ↩ ↩²