And not just figuratively either - one of the new back-of-the-box features is the little El Presidente avatar that can wander the island on your behalf, supervising building projects or giving speeches. Admittedly, it's not a crucial feature, and in most scenarios can be ignored completely with little ill-effect, but it's a fun addition nonetheless.
The meat (and bananas) of Tropico 3 is city-building: a typical scenario sees the player, as the new Presidente, taking charge of an under-developed Carribbean island-nation in the Cold War, with a set of objectives and a free hand as to how to achieve them. There are 15 different scenarios in the campaign mode, each with a different objective - export a certain ammount of oil for instance, or achieve a happiness rating above a particular threshold number. The campaign mode is complemented by a sandbox mode that lets the player try their hand at running an island without troublesome objectives getting in the way of El Presidente's afternoon nap.
Despite the potential to do otherwise with the historical setting, Tropico 3 takes nothing too seriously. All the proceedings in the game have a light, breezy tone, from the bright, appealing graphics to the upbeat latin soundtrack and over-the-top customisation options for your in game Presidente (dress as a pirate!). Building placement and other management options are easy to execute, and an array of lists, charts, and graphical overlays make understanding your island an easy task - with the glaring exception of road placement. Road placement in Tropico 3 is a bafflingly awkward and difficult process; roads frequently will not build in spots with no obstructive elements, for no apparent reason. Not a problem in open, flat areas, but infuriating in narrow passes.
Tropico 3 deviates somewhat from the standard city-building model in that it brings politics, both international and internal, to the forefront of the experience. Beyond the shores of your Caribbean isle, you must be wary of the United States and the USSR, both of whom will keep a beady eye on you throughout your rule, and both of whom can become a great help or a great threat, depending on your style of rule. Get in their good books and they will grant you monetary aid; annoy them, and they will send an invasion force to relieve El Presidente of his duties. In the earliest years of each scenario, when you are still working with limited resources, it can be a tricky balancing act to stay on the right side of both superpowers - the Soviets want good housing and healthcare, while Uncle Sam wants to see profits flowing from agriculture, industry, or tourism.
Domestic politics are modelled via factions with which islanders can be affiliated, and can support with varying degrees of intensity. Factions include capitalist pigdogs, pinko communists, militarists, and the religious. There are more, and they all have their own desires for the future of Tropico, their own likes and dislikes. Of course, the wishes of the factions can interelate and conflict. For instance the enviromentalist faction might really hate that oil well in the middle of the island, but the capitalists can't get enough of the money it brings in. Luckily for you, there are many more capitalists on the island than enviromentalists, so the well should ultimately bring in more votes than it costs in the upcoming elections - unfortunately for you however, many enviromentalists are rebelling violently, and you neglected to build up your military in favour of plowing oil money into tourist attractions.
Domestic politics are modelled via factions with which islanders can be affiliated, and can support with varying degrees of intensity. Factions include capitalist pigdogs, pinko communists, militarists, and the religious. There are more, and they all have their own desires for the future of Tropico, their own likes and dislikes. Of course, the wishes of the factions can interelate and conflict. For instance the enviromentalist faction might really hate that oil well in the middle of the island, but the capitalists can't get enough of the money it brings in. Luckily for you, there are many more capitalists on the island than enviromentalists, so the well should ultimately bring in more votes than it costs in the upcoming elections - unfortunately for you however, many enviromentalists are rebelling violently, and you neglected to build up your military in favour of plowing oil money into tourist attractions.
Such is Tropico 3 - a balancing act. At it's heart, Tropico 3 is all about balancing the demands of the superpowers and of your people, while shaping Tropico in your own vision and, of course, stashing away a little something for El Presidente's retirement as well. The trouble is, that after the first decade or so, it all comes a little too easily. Once you have established a booming industry of some kind, exporting cigars or oil for example, you will find it difficult to go wrong in Tropico 3. Threats will appear from rebels or elections or superpowers or events, but after the rough first ten years, you will in most cases have the resources at you disposal to deal with the issue. Religious faction getting uppity? Slap down a Cathedral, or perhaps issue a prohibition edict. Enviromentalists interupting El Presidente's evening meal with incessant protesting outside the palace? Well, if shooting or imprisoning them isn't for you, perhaps you could issue an anti-pollution edict? Or switch to gas-fuelled power plants instead of coal-fuelled ones. The point is, that once the money is rolling in, only very rarely will a genuinely threatening situation arise; in most cases, you will have the money available to deal with whatever issues present themselves.
The challenge in Tropico 3 then, doesn't come from attempting to win in a given scenario outright, but to win well - with a high score, or with a novel strategy; what if you focussed on tourisism as a source of income and never built any factories, oil wells or mines? Perhaps you can have some fun and play a ruler so paranoid that he would put Stalin to shame - arresting political adversaries or 'arranging accidents' for them, limiting the media and never calling elections? What about a religious fanatic, or hardcore communist? An uncomprimising nationalist eco-nut? All these approaches are there in Tropico 3 to be tried, and they all have the potential to be fun and interesting in their own right, each their own little tale of light-hearted Carribbean island development or dictatorship.
3.5/5
PLUS
-Pretty graphics, fun soundtrack
-Easygoing tone
-Political aspects a fun twist
MINUS
MINUS
-Difficult road placement
-No map editor
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