All demos will be rated on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest. Five different points will be considered in the evaluation process:

Playability
Graphics and Sound
Computer Specs
Fun Factor
Overall

Testing system: PII 350, 128 RAM, Voodoo 3000 PCI, 256K DSL Internet

If you've ever played any of the Sim-series games, you'll be familiar with the concept. You rule the island - simple as that. Make people happy so they will vote you back into office every 5 years or so, and make sure that you keep the island alive politically, economically and environmentally.

However, you have a few tricks up your sleeve as the island's military leader, ya know. For example: Once I learned that there was going to be an election next year, and I found out who was running against me (some friggin' lumberjack - imagine that), I put out a hit on him. Yep - wiped his ass of the face of my island. This didn't make anyone else happy (and downright put the fear of "El Presidente" into the bystanders who happened to see my trigger-happy soldiers drop this poor bastard in the streets of San Cristobal) and I lost a few votes, but hey - I still won the election.

Trouble started a few years later when the crops dried up and the mining business went south. I had to fire everyone on the island, and although it didn't bother me, it certainly bothered the people. Some turned rebellious and started attacking my palace! Well, previously, I had cut the pay of all but two of my soldiers, so I lost most of the army too, but the remaining warriors (trained in Spec-Ops - nice) took their stance in the streets and unleashed a hail of gunfire that seemed to quell any serious complaints for the time being. But then the coup d'etat came like an angry hurricane, and I was forced to flee, with a meager $12,000 in my Swiss bank account. It was bad news.

There are some great tunes in this demo, and the graphics are pretty good. It can be challenging at times, and downright frustrating at others, but for the most part this game is worth the download and I don't feel too bad about investing an entire Saturday in it. While it's not too hard to learn Tropico, it is difficult to master it, so be ready for the challenge.

It's your island. Do with it as you wish.

Put a nice fountain and a big statue in front of your palace; ignore the nearby shanties.

Sometimes you will get opponents when election time rolls around. Take care of them however you see fit.

How revolting.

These citizens are walking around with death sentences over their heads and they don't even know it.

Graphics / Sound: Nice sim graphics. When zooming all the way in, quality drops (to save room on the demo). The sounds are fantastic, with some catchy Calypso and Caribbean tunes throughout the game that don't get old at all - even after 12 hours.

Computer Specs: Pentium 200 / 32MB RAM / 180MB Hard Drive Space. Supports Direct3D, but not necessary.

Fun Factor: There are so many things at your fingertips, this game stays fun for a long time. Just trying to keep Tropico's economics in check is challenging, but attempting to stay in power while governing with a heavy hand is where the fun comes in.

Overall: This game is loads of fun to play. It will keep you entertained for a long time, and you may even want to go back and try it again to see if you can do better. Viva Presidente!

TOTAL SCORE: 8.0