LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Tropico: Islands
built 220 days ago
Tropico is a development simulation in which the player becomes the dictator of a small Caribbean island, at least vaguely reminiscent of Cuba. The only real goal of the game is to stay in power, but the ease of this task is influenced by hundreds of dynamic factors that determine the island's status and the citizen's satisfaction. Unlike the populace in classic "sand-box" games such as SimCity or even Caesar III, each citizen in Tropico exists as a unique entity, affected by upbringing, education, job, and living conditions. However, unlike the direct interface of a character-based life simulation like The Sims, the Tropico player cannot control these virtual charges directly. The dictator must persuade and manipulate the citizens of Tropico into behaving in a particular way.
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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.
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Tropico has several expansion packs and new editions, including Tropico: Paradise Island, plus a combined copy of the original and Paradise Island entitled Tropico: Mucho Macho Edition (released on June 27, 2002). A sequel, Tropico 2: Pirate Cove, was released on April 8, 2003.
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Tropico 2: Pirate Cove, developed by Frog City, continues Pop Top's tradition of giving players their very own island to satiate the megalomaniac inside. While its predecessor allowed one to take control of a Castro-style communist dictatorship, Pirate Cove puts players in the role of a Pirate King. The pirate theme is certainly no stranger to strategy games, but this different perspective offers a fresh take on the genre. Sea battles are all automated, and players don't even have direct control over their pirates. Instead, the player must use limited resources to create the ultimate pirate haven--one that guarantees riches, rum, and wenches for all. Historically such islands existed as bases of operations for pirates.
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Most games of Tropico start with a few people scratching out a living on a small Caribbean island. You step in as their new presidente, with the background of your choice to give you a set of game-twisting traits. For instance, if you come from a moneyed background, you'll have an advantage in industry. If you're a radical student, the communists will be predisposed to support you. If you're Lou Bega--this is actually one of your starting options--you'll wow them with your nightclub acts.
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Tropico was developed by Pop Top Software and published by MacSoft. The decision to set the game in the 1950’s maelstrom that was the US-Soviet geopolitical Cold War was not an arbitrary one, but rather a specific design choice intended to recreate a simpler and clearly adversarial time. PopTop liked the isolation that island communities tend to conjure up in people’s minds. It’s just you and your island, and nothing short of a super power has the time or resources to meddle in your affairs. There ... seems to be an unspoken absolute rule mentality with island governments.
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