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| | Publisher: MacSoft  Genre: Simulation | | | Min OS X: Any Version RAM: 32 MB Hard Disk: 850 MB Graphics: 640x480 @ 16-bit |
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El Presidente! We’ve got major problems! The rebels are nearly inside the palace gates and our men cannot repel them, we must flee! Perhaps you shouldn’t have canceled the election and had your opponent shot. I know, I know, he never could’ve been a leader of your magnificence, but the people know not what’s best! Ah well, at least we have your Swiss bank account to afford us a comfortable lifestyle away from these idiots. Who knows, Presidente, maybe you’ll find another group of sheep, I mean, people to rule. Now, let’s put on our disguises and run like *expletive deleted*!- Transcript from the Office Recorder of an Unknown Dictator In MacSoft’s Tropico, players take the helm as “El Presidente” of a tropical island paradise. From building housing, to enacting martial law and having enemies shot on sight, El Presidente is in charge of it all. So, does this latest “Ruler Sim” live up to the hype? Does it provide hours of “Omnipotent Leader” fun? Will it build your self-esteem and raise your conciseness to a higher echelon? I promise two yeses and one very strong maybe. Read on for answers and one shocking revelation that may shake our society to its very core! Well, perhaps that revelation thing isn’t true, or is it…? Gameplay: That’s a Tasty Margarita! Tropico is an extremely entertaining, richly detailed, yet not overly complex “Ruler Sim”. As El Presidente, players must juggle many tasks, the most important being KEEP THE PEOPLE HAPPY! In order to keep Tropico’s citizens cheery and content, one must feed them well, pay them plenty and keep them amused with hours of tropical island fun. For example, if the people of Tropico spend their days working the fields & factories without any form of local entertainment, they become bored and restless. So, it becomes necessary to build a pub or cabaret. Not only do these buildings entertain the citizens, they provide money for your economy. Mardi Gras style celebrations also provide excellent merriment for your people, as well as potential tourism funds. As your treasury grows, more complex buildings, such as electric power plants and luxury housing become available. Continued building is needed to pacify Tropico’s various political factions. For example, not enough low cost housing will insight anger among the Communists. Capitalists demand an advanced, factory based economy. However, too many pollution-spewing factories will infuriate the Environmentalists. Life on Tropico is a constant balancing act, one can never please all of the people all of the time. Too many angry citizens may lead to an armed uprising, in which armed Tropicans will actually attempt to storm your palace. Don’t worry though; a strong military presence will make people think twice about taking up arms against El Presidente. Yet, an unhappy strong military could lead to a Coupe. Ahhh, the balancing act continues… Tropico features a very well designed point and user interface. Simply click on the icon of the item you wish to build and place it on the island. No fuss, no muss. Of course, since Tropicans have their own free will, they do require some monetary incentives to complete building tasks quickly. In game text tips are abound in Tropico, thus it is quite easy to jump right into dictatorship without reading the game’s lengthy manual. Now, I’ve saved my favorite Tropico gameplay feature for last, “Edicts”. Edicts really bring the idea of being a dictator to life. For example, if some rebel is causing trouble to the government, issue an Edict to have him picked up and tossed in prison indefinitely, or better yet, have him shot on sight! Life as El Presidente is grand, indeed! There are many other Edicts, but much of Tropico’s fun comes from experimentation. Just like the 1960’s, but I digress.
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