About Tropico

Tropico is a new strategy/sim game published by PopTop Software and released around April 24, 2001. It is based in the Caribbean in the cold war period of the 1950's to 1970's and puts YOU in control of a tropical island to work your will with the people. Your style of rule is totally up to you and you will have a great influence on the people of your island, otherwise known as Tropicans. Each person and even animals like Queenie the cow will have individual thoughts of you and the other aspects of their daily life that you can tap into to evaluate how you are doing as a ruler. But the primary goal will be to build up a thriving island economy and population and of course make you rich and powerful at the same time. Here's more info straight from the horse's mouth (or the cow's udder, depending how you view it):

As the newly installed dictator of an obscure Caribbean island, build a path of progress for a nation mired in poverty, civil unrest and infighting.  Oh, and uhh… stash a few million in your Swiss bank account just in case you need to take early retirement.

Tropico takes the addictive building-oriented gameplay of hits such as SimCity 3000 and Railroad Tycoon 2, combined with a healthy dose of Latin American political intrigue, and bundles it up in an easy-to-learn, hard to master, utterly addictive package.

Tropico is first and foremost a builder.  Tropico provides over 100 structures to build, from hotels and spas for tourists to banana groves, sugar plantations and copper mines for food and basic exports, to rum distilleries and cigar factories for basic industry.  Industry, mining,
agriculture, or tourism, you choose to shape the economy to your vision.  And don’t let your lust for Yanqui dollars overcome your concern for the plight of your people. (or they’ll overcome your palace guards and teach you a lesson in mob justice)  As a precaution against such unpleasantness, may we suggest building the secret police headquarters for ferreting out and re-educating your misinformed dissidents?

Your island’s inhabitants are fleshed out individuals, most of whom support you as their leader (at least initially).  They go about their daily business striving for happiness under your enlightened rule.  They have homes, jobs and identities, and they like being safe, well-fed, employed and spiritually enriched.  Plan your growth well, and you’ll have plenty of money to buy your people’s favor.  Plan your growth poorly, and, well, there’s always martial law… 

For more information about Tropico, read some of the excellent reviews available at the Magazine Rack.