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Tropico pc Game Reviews
Tropico
Critic Score
Metascore: 85 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
9.7 out of 10
based on 28 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 12 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

Picture a city-building simulation, god game combination with a good splash of humor set in a third world, Caribbean island setting.

PUBLISHER: Gathering of Developers
DEVELOPER: PopTop Software
GENRE(S): Real-Time Strategy, City-Building, Simulation
PLAYERS: 1
ESRB RATING: T (Teen)
RELEASE DATE: April 24, 2001

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100
Hot Games
It may be a bit heavy on the micro-management, but if you’re at all interested in the God game genre, you’ll be hooked on this game for a long time.
Read Full Review
92
FiringSquad
If you had fun playing SimCity years ago but don't know if Sim gaming is still for you, give Tropico a whirl. Heck, if you just like Latin Jazz/Mambo music, you should pick up Tropico.
Read Full Review
91
TotalGames.net
By offering something that is not only new but extremely challenging PopTop have done the strategy gaming fraternity a real service and hopefully the legacy of Tropico will be that more games developers are prepared to attempt political simulations in the future.
Read Full Review
91
Armchair Empire
If you are a big fan of "The Sims" and are looking for a little vacation from that game, crack out the margarita mix and sun block before heading on over to the exceptionally good Tropico. May your reign be long and your Swiss bank account large!
Read Full Review
90
Gamers' Temple
A hearty "¡Viva Tropico!" for giving gamers such an innovative and fun game to play. While play may get a little repetitive during long game sessions, you'll definitely want to come back for more before too long.
Read Full Review
90
GameZone
It is incredibly well rendered, with an amazing soundtrack and it sports many of the elements of the higher-end civ games, without the baser responses, such as warfare.
Read Full Review
90
Playboy
And by combining an open-ended design with a wonderful (if somewhat politically incorrect) sense of humor, Tropico provides one of the finest and most dangerously addictive gaming experiences of the year.
Read Full Review
89
Game Chronicles
Tropico is one of the most fun and addictive strategy games of the year and perhaps the best strategy game to date.
Read Full Review
88
GamePower
It is eminently replayable. There are so many options -- the island's physical characteristics, victory conditions, El Presidente's personality quirks -- that it never plays the same way twice.
88
IGN
There is a ton of personality and humor in the game to go along with the great political simulation that hasn't really been done to this extent before.
Read Full Review
87
Gamer's Pulse
Definitely one of the more interesting governing and building game out there. It is unique in a lot of ways, and the gameplay is excellent.
Read Full Review
86
GameSpot
The political wrapper that PopTop has built around the core of the game is sophisticated enough to appeal to all types of strategy game players. The game also has enough heart, soul, humor, and humanity to make it unique.
Read Full Review
85
Voodoo Extreme
More than once, I played the game for over 8 hours in a single day. It’s the type of game that you play “just a little longer” until you realize that your wife has left you, you haven’t eaten in weeks, and you smell like an old shoe.
Read Full Review
85
GameSpy
A shining example for how to create a fun and challenging game based on an extremely boring and dull concept. Clearly one to earmark as a future hall of famer.
Read Full Review
85
Gamezilla!
The addition of real politics, planning, and consequences to the decision-making process adds a level of suspense not present in other building games.
Read Full Review
82
Da Gameboyz
A very complex and fun to play strategy game, with enough modular options to keep the gameplay different each time you play it.
80
All Game Guide
While personality alone is not reason enough to buy any game, the humor and level of detail in Tropico certainly makes it a worthwhile investment.
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80
Computer Games Magazine
It's the perfect game to sit down with for a couple of hours, with a margarita in one hand and the mouse in the other, and just tinker with your whacked-out island.
Read Full Review
80
Yahoo! Games
The graphics on Tropico are rich; you can almost smell the sea air while you're a mouse-click from arresting a political adversary.
Read Full Review
80
Maxim Online
You begin by selecting the background for your on-screen tyrant—anything from leftist journalist to drunken gambler to flatulent womanizer.
Read Full Review
80
Electric Playground
Even hardcore sim-nuts won't have any quality issues with Tropico; it's the less-experienced who will find themselves initially bewildered, even with the talky tutorial--there's just a lot of detail here, and Tropico seems to take for granted that players know the city-sim drill.
Read Full Review
80
EuroGamer
If you can overlook the niggles with the island's economy, Tropico is one of the best city building sims of recent years and certainly the most amusing.
Read Full Review
80
PC Gameworld
While it mostly succeeds at what it strives to do, the gameplay may be dampened for some by its few short-comings.
Read Full Review
80
Adrenaline Vault
It's difficult to come up for an overall score for Tropico as it does so many things right, but at the same time, tends to become a bit repetitive after extended periods of play.
Read Full Review
78
ActionTrip
Although the game is fun while it lasts (with plenty of stuff to build and plenty of macro-areas to manage), the pre-defined scenarios do not offer any qualitative innovations. They're just harder, and with different starting configuration.
Read Full Review
77
PC Gamer
Tropico passes as a strategy game - just don't expect it to rock your world. [July 2001, p.58]
75
Game Revolution
A very good game that really pushes the envelope is terms of immersion and difficulty.
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75
Game Over Online
Instead of being funny, Tropico stops somewhere around being congenial, and instead of offering complexity, it offers meaningless options. The result isn't a bad game, but it is disappointing.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 9.7 (out of 10) based on 12 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Artem G. gave it a10:
One of the best games in history. Brilliant atmosphere, lots of great ideas. Definitely needs a real sequel, better than the weak Pirate Cave.

_~*M*~_ gave it a 10:
Its like a version of the Sims but you don't control the people - the people kind of control you. If you don't make them happy, they will revolt. But it is a great game - Tropico 2 is sure to be better. :-)

Andraš T. gave it a 10:
Great game, I like it very much.

Nicholas L. gave it a 10:
Very good.

[Anonymous] gave it an 8:
Bring on "Tropico 2"... more interaction with the people!

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