Tropico Reloaded

Much can be said about this unforgiving, slow and cerebral resource management strategy city-builder. A not so classic game, to be honest, as it was never as famous as Sim City 3 or Caesar III, from which this game is heavily inspired. This game is in fact a mix of these games, plus Majesty and other great simulation strategy games from the 90s and early 2000s.
If you are looking for military strategy, and warfare there is none here. This game is set in the 1950s during the Cold War, more specifically, and technology will be stuck to that decade throughout the span of the entire game. No car in this game. You need to read the manual in order to truly grasp it. Be aware it is slow and things do not happen right away, buildings are not built automatically and resources do not get shipped quickly.
The slowness is a calculated part of the game. To do well you need to macro and micromanage the island by unilaterally passing laws, setting immigration laws, cajoling external powers, checking the political affiliation and education of your citizens, making arrests and firing educated people from farms. That on the top of choosing how much to pay barmaids and journalists, where to build your next mining complex and port and whether you want to sell bananas, papayas or just focus on tourism. Oh yeah, elections are coming and people may need something more interesting than looking at grass all day and curing all illnesses with snake oil.
Did I tell you are a dictator and you can order to kill political opponents and create a propaganda machine to elevate your people's perception about your magnificent rule? But you are not as powerful as you think, because either the US or the military will want to seize power themselves if you are not savvy. The Soviets, too far away, won't bulge to protect you from any US invasion, just like in real life, but they may send you some money if you are good to the proleratian cause.
That being said, even if you are on the capitalist side, favouring the US, by winning elections and attracting US tourists, you always play as dictator of a state-controlled economy, so, differently from any Sim City, you can never let the market take care of itself.
Resource-management is as far as similarities go with Caesar III. They are completely different games. In Caesar III the roads work, here in this game, they do not serve to direct haulers, but they function more as a mere idea of a path, or, worse, as a simply decoration to offset pollution. In Caesar III, for example, you only see haulers and soldiers most of the time. Here you will see everyone doing their daily activities. Differently from Caesar III, there is no military combat. In a sense, it is more akin to Majesty. If rebels are attacking, you better hire soldiers, and they may not even fight right away, because they might be busy still in their previous job or, perhaps, enjoying some free time at the gentleman's club.
Also, you cannot control the citizens directly. If they want to go to the clinic, to the pub and enjoy the beach, rather than going to work to deliver the gold to the port, you can't do anything about it, so in that regards, it is very similar to Majesty.
When the game jokes you need an academic degree to play this game, it is not kidding. An understanding of simple Economics and History lessons will help. It is that deep.
Been playing this game for 30 years, so one will never complain about lack of replayability. Music is great. You will be singing "Cafe, cafe, yo quiero cafe" in no time.
Mr, Presidente, your people are waiting for you to rule with wisdom and vision or else make sure you have saved enough money in that shady operation in Switzerland.

This is the best city-builder that's been made since 2001.
Every character has needs and deep motivations, including political parties they support and opinions about the state of things. Then there's inflation which affect the whole economy. Resources need to be manually hauled so the planning of the city is vital to keep things going.
Yes it has graphically aged and it's the only downside I can think of. Mechanically it beats all the Cities: Skylines', Sim Cities', later Tropico entries and Banisheds out of the water.
If graphics don't bother you then give it a go. If they do, say a little prayer that some day someone with a little bit of vision would make another gem like this, it's been 2 decades already.

**A Review of *Tropico***
*By Richard M. Nixon**
Let me be perfectly clear: I did not lose the election of 1960. But that's not why we're here.
We're here because this game—*Tropico*—lets you run a country. A small country, yes. A banana republic, if you will. But you run it. You make the decisions. You stand before the people and you tell them what's good for them, and by God, you deliver.
And let me tell you something about running a country: it's not easy. The factions—the intellectuals, the communists, the capitalists, the religious—they all want something. They all think they know better. Sounds familiar? I spent eight years in the White House dealing with the same damn thing. Except there, I had Kennedy's ghost breathing down my neck. Here? No Kennedy. Just you and the people.
Here's the thing about *Tropico* that Kennedy would never understand: it's about *stability*. Kennedy, he wanted the glamour. The cameras. The "ask not what your country can do for you" nonsense. Me? I want the roads built. The farms producing. The rebels pacified. You don't get that with speeches. You get that with *work*. You get that with *systems*.
And yes, you can rig the elections. I'm not saying I approve. I'm saying the option exists. And if the option exists, it's not illegal—it's *strategic*.
The graphics are simple. The music—that Caribbean guitar—it gets in your head. But underneath it all is a machine. A machine that works. A machine that *delivers*. And that's more than I can say for the Bay of Pigs.
Do I recommend it? Yes. Because for once, you're the one in charge. No Kennedy. No media. Just you, El Presidente, and a little island that does what you tell it to do.
And if the people protest? Send in the troops. That's leadership.
I did not lose the election of 1960. But if I'd had *Tropico* back then—if I'd practiced running a country on my own terms—maybe things would've been different.
Maybe.

Fun Game. Simple mechanics. Politically incorrect. Can play hundreds of hours. I've been playing 20 years now this game.

It's the most difficult in the franchise. The democratic path, winning elections, mainly. The mood of the people is very volatile.
But let's get to the main feature of this game:
"Café, Café, Café
Dame mas Café
Café, Café, Café
Yo quiero Café
Si te digo cositas
(con Café)
Si te doy un abrazo
(con Café)
Si te doy un besito
(con Café)
Si te llevo a la calle
(con Café)
Café, Café, Café
Dame mas Café
Café, Café, Café
Yo quiero Café "

found a small child beachcombing around my isle of Caracas. He did not care for the upcoming election and belonged to the faction 'Capitalists+'

The Best in the series, and one of the best city builders ever.