Tropico 2: Pirate Cove

We first saw the original Tropico at a private showing at 2000's ECTS at the London Olympia, and it impressed. Not because of its visuals or myriad features, but because of the effort that went into the game engine. Tropico was as realistic as games come, and its sequel, Tropico 2, highly anticipated by RTS veterans, is set to improve on what is already a respected game.

As an all-powerful Pirate King, players must manage a 17th century band of buccaneers as they strive for supremacy in Tropico. To attract the most frightening of history's sea-faring bad boys, Pirate Kings must have a brave crew and keep well supplied between voyages. The island's resident "yo-ho-ho's" must stay at a feverish pitch in order to keep the King and his buccaneers satisfied with drinking, wenching, gambling, feasting, and the best in pirate accommodation.

Success in Tropico 2 depends on careful management of the pirate population. As dead men earn no loot, the King must keep his pirates well equipped for potentially lethal missions. Sea dogs require muskets, cutlasses, cannons, and the skills to use them when they venture forth to plunder the Spanish Main. Pirates equipped with a parrot on their shoulders and a scary black hat are more likely to strike fear into their victims' hearts.

So in a nutshell, and as you might expect, it's Tropico with Pirates. That's very true, but under the bows of this game lies an intricate management strategy game capable of rivalling even the most dominant games in the RTS genre. A worthy sequel to the accomplished original.