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Great fun for future dictators

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: March 05, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I've always like RTS and simulation games so when I heard about this game, I got it to try it out and was not disappointed. I like everything about it from the Soca/Calypso background music to the fact the each person on the island has their own personality and thoughts. I've had this game since it first came out and it just never gets old. Great practice since I plan on running my own small nation someday.

I love Tropico!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: July 29, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I absolutely love this computer game, it is sooo addictive!! It's fun and intriguing without being too violent and stuff. On tropico, you are the ruler and your job is to build building, industries, etc., provide for the nedd of your people and try to kepp the citizens as well as other countries happy. If not, you're outta there!! it's really good and I recommend anyone over 12 to buy it, very kewl

Tropical Tropico

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: February 06, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is a great tropical island simulation game which has many options and keeps you discovering all it does for a while. Govern an island while worrying about foreign relations and your people's happiness. Rebel groups will form and launch attacks on specified areas of your empire if you are not well liked, and you will see an end to your regime if nations such as the U.S. and Russia are not pleased. They will, however, give you foreign aid if you are able to maintain relations with them. This is one of the top strategy games out there and should be on the shelf of any simulation/role-playing/strategy gamer.

Can't believe I'm still playing this game...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: December 12, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Granted, my machine is pretty old and can't handle much more complicated than Tropico. But I still play this game at least once a week. It is that interesting and addictive! The music is wonderful, the graphics are not spectacular but are bright and easy to see on my old monitor, and the gameplay is varied and very open. I like the variety of scenarios as well. If you have an older computer and need a game, get this one!

Not for children

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: August 12, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is a great game, but it's too complex for kids under 13. I got original Tropico when I was about 11, and I was pretty confused. After many tedious hours of playing this game I figured out enough to not get kicked out of office or be invaded by the U.S. after a few years, allowing me to experience the more fun aspects of the game. This game is similar to sim city because you need to keep your people healthy, enducated, safe, and employed(and happy). It also adds new challenges like keeping good relations with the United States and Russia, political factions, and winning elections (or rigging them). What I'm trying to say is; if you like city sims and you understand politics, get this game.

A great game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: August 05, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Maybe it's the wonderful music and bright graphics as much as the gameplay per se, but I find it impossible not to enjoy myself while playing Tropico. I see many before me have already written rather extensive reviews, so I'll just say, "I agree."

This is somewhat of an odd game, in that some people find it excruciatingly difficult to balance all of the factors, while others find it easy to build a fat treasury and a happy island. I don't find it very difficult, except on very high difficulty levels like 200% and such.

Great Game of Political Strategy in the Caribbean!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: May 24, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This is a quite intelligent and entertaining game, consistent with notions of political economy in tropical nations with a focus on tourism and political intrigue!

As a politician with dictatorial inclinations ("El Presidente"), your goal is to remain in power for over 40 years, while developing the social, economic, political and environmental dimensions of an underdeveloped tropical nation-island. The personality traits of El Presidente will affect the development of the game. You get points by developing the island and also by stashing away money in your Swiss bank account.

Social indicators define the level of "happiness" of your population. You have to develop housing, hospitals and colleges. You also have to develop entertainment and religion facilites, but your population factions will argue over your decisions, and your budget is limited. You have to oversee food production as the population grows, choosing export crops or subsistence food.

You manage the economy of the island, by developing its infrastructure, factories and managing wage levels and labor conditions - in agriculture, manufacture, services, and state bureacracy. These decisions will affect the happiness and migration flows (to be influenced by your own INS agency!). It is fun to see how your country develops comparatively to other Caribbean countries.

The most challenging industry is tourism. You manage hotels, restaurants, bars, archaeological parks, pubs, etc. In addition to foreign tourists, citizens also want to enjoy these facilities, so you need to define prices and entry policies. Depending on natural beauties, infrastructure, and criminality, tourism will stand somewhere between cheap and upscale.

At the political level, you have to consider internal and foreign policies. By keeping your people happy, you remain popular and win elections. Otherwise, you may want to become a dictator - or lose the game. Unloyal generals may try a coup against you! In the meanwhile, you may want to bribe leaders of social groups: capitalists, socialists, religious, intellectuals, and environmentalists.

Your strategic decisions are being watched over by the US and Russia (this is a 1950s scenario). Thus, you need a well-staffed Foreign Affairs Department, to strike good deals for your island and improve its economy and tourism!

Some minor negative aspects: 1) the total population is too small (a few hundred only), and your army is limited to a handful of soldiers and generals. Some immigrants come from rich countries and work as poor peasants (unlikely...). 2) the map is out of scale: the area is way too small for buildings you create. 3) in installation: it did not install in my laptop and old desktop, and online support was not helpful.

But Tropico has other attractive features. Your "gabinet advisor" is a funny guy with Latino accent and indirect jokes on your administration. The musical soundtrack is very good (with Salsa, Merengue, Bolero...). It is fun to see your citizens reacting emotionally to you, hailing you as a true leader or waving fists in rage fit.

In sum, Tropico is awesome and challenging. Buy it. Mucho Macho edition is a bit more diverse and interesting that the original version. Thanks for reading.

Pleasantly Addicting

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: February 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I can't stop playing this game. It's a lot like playing Sim City, but with a tropical twist. I enjoy the political spin, as well. I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys simulation games.

An excellent sim strategy game with a political twist

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: January 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Fans of sim strategy games like SimCity and the Tycoon games will find much to love about Tropico. This game takes the whole SimCity concept and adds a political, Carribean twist. You play the role of "el presidente" of a small tropical island nation. Your goals include keeping your people happy, building a strong economy, and establishing good relations with the U.S. and Russia. You can build your economy around farming, mining, logging, fishing, industry, and tourism...you choose the resources that will be the most profitable for you. You also have to build churches, health care facilities, and provide adequate entertainment and housing to keep your citizens happy, and build schools and universities to keep them educated. If you don't keep your citizens happy they will likely to vote against you in the elections, but you can always choose not to have them. Be careful though, your citizens may rise up against you...better build up your military! There are also a number of edicts you can issue which can affect your success.

There are a number of different scenarios you can play, but if you've played them all or just want to try something different, the "build your own game" mode lets you create your own. You choose the conditions on your island, level of difficulty, game length and victory conditions. Then comes the fun part: building your dictator! You can choose from a variety of personalities, rise-to-power methods, character traits, and flaws to build the type of ruler you choose to be. All of these will affect your gameplay and overall strategy. You can be a benevelent ruler who strives to make his people happy or a ruthless dictator who oppresses those who oppose him. The possibilities are endless! With all these choices, it's hard to play the same game twice. This replayability makes Tropico a game you're sure to enjoy for a long time.

If you decide to get this game, get the Mucho Macho edition. It includes the Paradise Island expansion pack which provides you with a number of new scenarios, buildings, and more. Most of the additions focus on your tourism industry, but there are other nice additions as well. It also has twice as much music on its soundtrack than the original. (Did I mention the soundtrack is excellent?) There are also a few extra goodies included, like a strategy guide and a few behind-the-scenes videos on the making of Tropico. It's a good deal. Two thumbs up.

controling the underdogs

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: September 21, 2003
Author: Amazon User

very ingrossing an involving game with lots of dicissions to make. control a whole island of hard working under paid people build homes for them, make them pick crops, get tourists to visit.ect...

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