The review concerns the state of the art, the advances in and prospects for application of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in chemical analysis. Key advantages (nondestructive origin, high sensitivity and selectivity, easiness of sample preparation) and drawbacks (a relatively small number of analytes, insufficient metrological characteristics of certain objects) of the method are pointed out. Particular attention is paid to the development of novel chemical approaches and to the design of versatile optical sensors to significantly enhance the analytical potential of the method and to extend the range of analytes. Examples are given of the application of SERS in key branches of science and technology that require both qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis of complex objects, viz., environmental monitoring, fuel and energy area, medical diagnosis, biology and biochemistry. The bibliography includes 502 references.