Tropico is a fictional state, but one who shares many similarities with real countries from the Latin America, enough to add a special flavor to the game. It comes as no surprise that the designated leaders for your emerging democracy, are prominent figures who shaped the course of history in the last decades. You can either choose one of these characters as El Presidente or create your own custom leader, to fit your most rigorous standards.

Either way, you'll be stuck with a character who's  pluses and minuses are well balanced and their impact on the actual gameplay weights heavily. A charismatic leader will be more successful in detaining his position and win elections, even if his gambling problems and alcohol appetite are hurting the treasury badly. On the other hand a self made man or a president with an agricultural background will win the hearts of farmers and workers, but will always be derided by intellectuals.

Once you decide what kind of ruler you intend to become, the real test begins and let me just say that the tutorial is not going to clarify your mission. The set of instructions included in the short briefing, revolves more around building placement and camera handling instead of teaching you how to maximize profits and avoid bankruptcy. Useful as these information might be, the key elements that will grant success in Tropico 3 remain untouched, and the only way to learn them is by a trial and error process.

Like any respectable city simulator, this title focuses on developing a prosperous economy and the main tool for achieving this is trade. Raw materials such as tobacco, coffee, lumber or iron are good enough to bring profit in the early stages, but these goods can only carry you that far and exports must be gradually refined. Constructing cigar and furniture factory or jewelry industrial units to process the  minerals extracted from the lucrative mines is paramount, since they help you keep a constant flow of cash during late game.

Bankruptcy is lurking behind every corner, but is harder to avoid in the first months of your reign, because crops need a long time to grow, so it will take a while before the first harvest. Meanwhile you can't divert too many funds to industry because the people will starve in the absence of farms, so sooner your later the initial funds will run out. This is in fact the point where Tropico 3  starts to shine and the elements that set it apart from regular city simulators kick in.

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Besides the obvious ways of generating profit, such as exports and tax collection, El Presidente has a few other methods of keeping his head above the water and the country floating. The World Bank will lend you additional money, but this debt has to be repaid and if you spend too much of it, the financial organism will impose sanctions and restrains. Given the fact your mandate takes place during the Cold War, the USSR and US are constantly competing for influence in the area and they will aid you financially as well, trying to lure you on either side. Depending on your reputation with the superpowers, you'll receive more or less cash and the amount will constantly alter in time.

Multinational organizations such as the infamous United Fruit Company will try to bribe you, by offering significant amounts of money that go straight to your Swiss Bank account. In turn you have to sign a contract that will enslave the citizens to some extent and allow monopoly on some crops, for as long as a decade. For those familiar with the historical controversy surrounding these kind of companies, the game will become even more appealing and the predicaments of making the tough decisions will be a constant torment.

Keeping the citizens happy is a tricky business as well, because their basic needs will grow as your small country expands and you'll need to adjust your budget frequently. Education, entertainment and religion play a major part in the wellbeing of your subjects and delivering the expensive services will put extra pressure on the already undersized finances. Furthermore, your agricultural society won't be able to provide the newly constructed buildings with qualified workers, so you'll have to recruit staff from abroad before you are able to train locals.

Basically, the answer to keep citizens in high spirits is reducing taxes, increasing wages and making sure they have proper housing and access to education and religion. It doesn't seem like much, but when you are constantly harassed by rebels and face imminent invasion, all these tasks become more than a nuisance. While rebels can be easily dealt with by a disciplined military corps, and even coups are annihilated by an effective secret service, full scale invasions from either US or USSR are bound to bring an untimely end to your reign. The only thing you can do about it is to ally with one of the rival blocs and allow them to build a base on your soil, even if this will lower the respect of nationalists.

The Almanac is a precious tool that helps you monitor the way people perceive you as a leader, with the attitude each faction has towards you and what would they need, to like you even more. You can praise a particular group, institute a tax reduction, grant extra food or make some promises before preparing elections. If all these methods of improving your image fail, then there is always the option of rigging the elections and stay in power even when the whole country loathes you. Unfortunately a discontent nation can't be harnessed forever and if peaceful revolutions are impossible you'll make violent revolutions inevitable.

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Conclusion:

Tropico 3 brilliantly succeeds in combining intricate economical elements with subtle political decisions, to create one of the best city sims on the market. You'll never fight for world domination and no matter how effective you are as a leader, El Presidente's influence will manifest solely over the inhabitants of the tiny republic. Nonetheless, the feeling of accomplishment generated by a lengthy mandate, a prosperous nation or a fat secret account in a Swiss bank is overwhelming and makes the effort worthwhile.

Gameplay: 86

Tropico 3 is a game tough to master and one that will break your will in the early stages, especially if you are not familiar with these kind of games. Those patient enough to persevere and advance throughout the 15 missions long campaign will be generously rewarded by a complex yet refined gameplay. Repetition is not an issue given the diverse goals and multiple challenges the game pits you against, while the adjustable speed allows you to decide which is the optimal pace to build a working democracy.

Graphics: 82

This is one cool looking game, a bit cartoonish maybe, but I strongly believe that this presentation is the most appropriate for what Tropico 3 is meant to be. We have the perfect mix between a demanding gameplay and a lively setting, an iron fist in a soft, colorful glove. Buildings are carefully crafted and those players obsessed with details, constantly zooming in and out will be thrilled to witness the vibrant life that animates the streets.

Sounds: 84

Tropico 3 features one of most exciting soundtracks I've had the pleasure of listening to lately, and the dynamic rumba rhythms fit in nicely, although they tend to repeat after a while. Add to this, some great ambient sound effects, and pertinent comments on the local radio and you've got an accurate picture of what this title has to offer.

Hardware: 87

Tropico 3 is not a game that requires a lot of resources to run smoothly, so don't be shy to set the visual details on maximum and admire a gorgeous setting. Loading times are brief and so rare that they never pester the player, and the frame rate doesn't drop even when you have a booming economy with hundreds of people swarming the city.