Tropico: Mucho Macho Edition Review

Tropico, a simulation game in the vein of the Sim City series takes players into the realm of the tropical Caribbean as dictator of your own island called Tropico. It is great fun and highly addicting and is one of the more interesting simulation games ever made.

Few games have kept my interest as long as Tropico has. It's been years since I first purchased Tropico: Mucho Macho Edition but I still play it whenever I have the time. In fact I haven't bought another computer game since buying Tropico: Mucho Macho Edition.

In Tropico you are dictator of your own island. You make the rules. Like Sim City you are responsible for the physical development of your island: roads, buildings, shops, power plants, etc. But unlike Sim City in Tropico you are working at a more intimate level. You are responsible for the smallest workings of the island and if you don't do it right you can ruin your life as dictator and the life of your citizens.

As dictator of Tropico you are responsible for the island's economy as well as its politics. Development of your character is also important, unlike the Sim City series and other such simulation games. Your character's attributes determine how your people will react to you and whether or not they will go along with what you want them to do.

Want to turn your island of Tropico into a tourist Mecca, and rake in the rich American/European dollars? Or perhaps you want to turn your island into an industrial powerhouse to become a real player in the world economy. The choices are yours.

For myself I find the game tilted towards the tourist economy (as in real life). If you are trying to make the big bucks and give your island a successful and wealthy economy, tourism will be a requirement. Of course everyone's playing styles are different and other Tropico gamers could find a very different experience.

If you are looking for strategies to improve your Tropico game, Tropico: Mucho Macho Edition has the solution: the Tropico Strategy Guide comes free with the game. Tropico Mucho Macho Edition also comes with the Tropico: Paradise Island Expansion and twelve all new scenarios.

I've spent countless hours playing Tropico. In fact when you start playing it can often be quite difficult to determine just where the time has gone. One of the fortunate things about the game is its strict time limit (generally 50 years), to try to give the game a little bit more realism. (Dictators rarely last more than 50 years, if that). Unlike other simulation games it is possible to play an entire game of Tropico: Mucho Macho Edition in one sitting if you happen to have an entire afternoon free.

Looking for a classic video game to while the hours away? There are far worse games out there than Tropico: Mucho Macho Edition. And considering its age you can get it for a pretty cheap penny these days. A fun, timeless classic.