Analysis is a game of deduction in which players take turns being the Analyst, the person responsible for choosing and (using the game's components) outlining a character, Man or Woman, Living or Dead, Real or Fictional, for the remaining players to deduce. Points are scored based on how well the Analyst describes the character before the mystery is solved, or by players who successfully determine the character's identity. A score of 500 wins the game.
The game's equipment consists of 25 descriptive cards, some small round plastic chips, a playing board with categorical areas (Personality, Profession, Geographical Location, Physical Description) and their point values on which the cards are to be placed, and a smaller "key" board with more detailed subsets of the board's categories and point values, where the chips are placed.