The Concept

Developer: PopTop Software
Publisher: Gathering of Developers
Official site: http://www.poptop.com/Tropico.htm

Viva El Presidente!

Tropico is... well, SimCity: The Banana Republic. You take your typical, everyday builder sim and then give it the theme of a small, tropical island nation. Throw in some RTS-like aspects, and you have Tropico. The game places you as the leader of this nation, and charges you with certain goals. The primary concern in all cases is keeping power - if you get booted out of office, it's game over. Other goals include fostering good relations with one of the two superpowers (Russia or the US), stuffing cash into a Swiss bank account, etc.

Tropico Island

What a beautiful place

The whole 'Banana Republic' theme is a bit twisted, but it doesn't go to silly extremes in trying to be funny. The game is more serious than you'd think, and that is what keeps it from getting stale after a few hours. It is a challenge trying to keep power, playing factions off one another and maintaining good relations with either or both of the superpowers. The expectations of your people grow with time, and if you don't meet them, they become unhappy.

Home sweet home

Tourists - they all bitch 'n whine

The People

Tropico is much more up-close-and-personal than any SimCity ever has been. You see individual characters on the screen, you can click them and find out their vital information (including their thoughts), and they go about their duties over the years. They often belong to one or more factions, and these factions decide how people feel about you. Factions like Environmentalist, Religious, Intellectual, Militarist, Communist and Capitalist all have their members, and various levels of support.

He's a threat - exceptional courage and leadership, good intelligence! :(

Bleeding money

Not only do people support factions, they have varying degrees of support. Some are extreme die-hards, others simply regular supporters or maybe strong supporters. When someone belongs to more than one faction, and you commit an act that pleases one of those factions but annoys the other, the degree to which the factions feel about this act, and the level of support this person gives the factions, decide how this person feels about the act itself. Of course, if he is personally affected - such as a wage hike or executing a family member of his - then his personal feelings take precedence.

If a character gets too annoyed with you, they'll go around protesting in public. This can stir up more discontent and more protests. You have to keep a close eye on the level of dissent among your population.