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Tropico: "Viva, El Presidente!!"

Review By: Eric Terry

$41.25 [ Backorder ]

PopTop Software has delivered exactly what players of Maxis� 'SimCity' have wanted since the series started an insight to the citizens� wants and needs. "Tropico" is a perfect blend between 'The Sims' and 'SimCity'. Sure it�s nice to have a bar graph indicating that more residential areas and less industrial zones are needed. Why stop there?

"Tropico" digs deep into the lives of its citizens. You aren�t the leader, 'El Presidente', for nothing. You truly have the opportunity to get intimate with the details of the game, and there are plenty of them. At the end of each year, an 'Informe' brief is posted. It allows you to see everything from top earning exports to foreign relations between you, Russia, and America. It�s jammed with info that will be of benefit to your leadership.

Tropico Screenshots Even though you can not directly control each individual citizen�s action, you can greatly influence them by your actions. As El Presidente, you can study your citizens as a group or as individuals. While this level of involvement will please the hard core veterans of the genre, newbies will definitely be in for a struggle. There is a fair amount of multitasking that must take place as the game proceeds and your island�s population grows.

You are responsible for everything that your people need; shelter, food, healthcare, entertainment, and jobs just to name a few. Give the people what they want and need, not necessarily in that order and you will have free reign over your people. Upset too many, and it�s off to the shore line to make your escape.

Tropico Screenshots Fortunately an awesome user�s manual is shipped with the game. Gutsy vets may just want to read the quick start provided by Fast Frederico. Others will definitely want to take the time and go through it a bit more thoroughly.

Besides, what other manual do you know of that can be substituted for a book in your local economics and sociology courses. It contains sidebar information on some of the most infamous dictatorships the tropics have ever seen. Pinochet, Castro, past or present, they�re in there. You even get some quotes from a few good guy 'Yanquies'.

Attention to detail doesn't stop with the intimate knowledge of your people. The graphical detail of the gaming environment is done just as well as the game play.

Tropico Screenshots Everyone that claims to be a sim player will want to give this game a try. Just be sure you have plenty of time on your hands, you�ll be playing for hours on end.