The player takes the role of Max Remington (whether the male Maximillian or the female Maxine), a skilled and deadly free agent hired by Central Intelligence Agency, and investigates criminal and terrorist plots and activities.

During the course of a game, the player will be tasked with installing wiretaps, infiltrating enemy safehouses, intercepting and decoding secret messages and interrogating prisoners.

Successfully completing a mini-game often reveals one or more pieces of data, including the names and photos of those involved, as well as locations connected to the plot.

The player is allowed to decide which skills his agent has mastered ahead of time, making the associated mini-games easier.

If the character runs out of health, he is knocked unconscious and must either lose precious time escaping, or agree to a prisoner exchange by freeing captured enemy agents.

The game is played by rearranging the junctions through which power flows to produce the desired results.

He described the origins of this rule in an interview with GameSpot: The mistake I think I made in Covert Action is actually having two games in there kind of competing with each other.

The magazine criticized the poor documentation, but concluded that the game "is entertaining in the extreme", comparing it to The Fool's Errand and Starflight.

Stop smugglers and extortionists, thwart kidnappings, and even uncover double-agents from within your own organization as you roleplay a super spy in Covert Action.