It is the purview of gamers to have all the fun. To have programmers do that, and dare to have the effrontery of inserting it into a game is positively criminal.
But that is exactly the boldness that PopTop Software demonstrates – along with publisher Gathering of Developers – in the new civilization game, Tropico. Is this your typical civ game? Don’t think so. This is a joyful adventure, no pressures – unless you want them – and wonderful weather.

Imagine reclining on a beautiful tropical beach: the sun is shining, the water is powder blue, the breezes are gentle and warm, and the day is long. That is the surface of Tropico. Now, el presidente, imagine that this wonderful world, with its limited supply of people and skilled workers, relies on you to put food on the table, and give them hope for tomorrow. Should your country be aimed at industry or tourism? Do you want a military dictatorship, or a republic? Are you going to funnel money into a Swiss bank account, or give back to the people in wages?

Each decision will affect the outcome of the game – whether you indulge in the limited election reign, or become a dictator who cannot be elected out of office through a non-ending game.

Pick from historical figures to begin your regime: Che Guevarra, Fidel Castro, “Evita” De Peron, Papa Doc Duvalier, Augusto Pinochet, Antonio Salazar or Manuel Noriega, to name but a few. But regardless of the leader you pattern yourself after, from the moment you launch the game, the decisions fall solely in your lap. Political stability can be set from sandbox to ‘painful.’ Economic conditions – something that was lacking in the preview version of the program – range, again, from sandbox to “just plain ludicrous.”

There are seven pre-designed scenarios, ranging from moderate to very hard to “ridiculously hard.”

Zoom in to see what citizens are thinking and saying. You can watch the well-rendered figures go about life on the island, complaining about everything from food, to the work schedule to the government itself. If they offend you, arrest them and plunk them in jail. You can even hear the thoughts of the livestock, but don’t be surprised if a cow complains about the one she fell in love with getting lazy, fat and passing gas all day long. Zoom out and watch the island’s industry parallel an ant colony, with tiny scurrying figures going about their lives, unaware of the consequences rendered by the ‘eye in the sky.’

Tropico is a fascinating civilization game. It is incredibly well rendered, with an amazing soundtrack and it sports many of the elements of the higher-end civ games, without the baser responses, such as warfare. You set the conditions, select the island conditions and then develop as you see fit. Each move you make will be reflected in a detailed, annual report. If you have a republic, you can be elected out of office – unless you declare martial law. If you are primarily a dictatorship, forget what the people want – do what you like.

The game interface is amazingly simple to use. If you have doubts, you can take the tutorial, which will guide you through the fundamental factors of the game. If you have ever played a civ game before, skip it. The graphics are absolutely wonderful, and a joy to watch close up. The soundtrack, featuring that Caribbean beat, is quite varied and entrancing.

There is little to complain about with this program. Ok, there are some clipping problems with aircraft seemingly flying through buildings en route to landing on the island. And the program really isn’t a fan of the diminish (Alt-Tab) function. There also was some stalling in rotating the map for a different angle view of the action. But all that aside, Tropico is a highly addictive game. You can almost feel yourself tanning as you engineer the future of the tropical paradise – or tropical nightmare.

This is a single player outing, rated Teen for violence and suggestive themes. But that rating is overrated.

Tropico is great fun, and you will find yourself drawn back frequently to this program. Set it at the easier levels and let the kids play. Adjust the difficulty up, and watch hours slip past late at night as you counter each setback with a new economic and political strategy. You can’t satisfy all the people all the time, but you can arrest those who don’t agree with you.

Install: Medium.
The install, though it sucks up 820 megs of hard drive space, doesn’t really take that long.

Gameplay: 9.
There is some stall if you rotate the view, and the constant interruption for yearly reports is a bit annoying – especially if you don’t care what the people are thinking (dictatorship mode) – but other than that, this game moves along well.

Graphics: 9.5
Zoom in and watch an island inhabitant – seemingly aware that you are watching – go about life. From the details of the sign on the sports complex to the graffiti on the tenements and the tourists sunbathing, this program is very well rendered.

Sound: 9.5.
Get in step with that Calypso rhythm, or simply enjoy the sounds of people going about their lives. Even the tourists will give a tentative greeting if they know they are being watched.

Difficulty: 8
The sandbox mode is open-ended and lacking in parameters. The “ludicrous” end is almost impossible to succeed at. This is a game of contrasts, but fun nonetheless.

Concept: 8.5
Civ games are not new, but this program draws the best elements of them, and puts them into an engaging format.
Multiplayer: N/A

Overall: 9
This is a program that the whole family can derive pleasure from, plus spend way too many hours on the computer playing. The graphical elements are engaging and delightful, the audio is fun, and the player interface easy to use. Break out the suntan lotion; you will spend quite a number of hours playing Tropico.