Rating: 
Summary: avoid this
Review: I feel I should post how much I hated this piece of junk here, since the other reviews seem to give the impression that it's a fantastic game and everybody will love it. I couldn't stand it and took it back a couple of days later. All the positive reviews below positively puzzle me, since engaged in a conversation about this game in the local EB, everybody else declared they had hated it too. So who's writing those reviews?
The thing is too slow! It takes about 50 years to build a school. And the economics of the game don't make sense either -- you charge nothing for rent and pay everybody beaucoup bucks, and still everybody moves off your island and the birth rate decreases.
Also, this game is not as funny as the programmers obviously believe. I agree with the reviewer below who said that the manual is much funnier than the actual game.
Lastly, the graphics of the game are overcomplex, meaning that the game will be extremely fussy on most setups. This wouldn't be such a problem, but Tropico either has no tech support line, or they don't answer what they say is the support line, or they've done a fantastic job with hiding the contact information of the real tech support line. In other words, after a couple of days of trying, I couldn't get any help.
Rating: 
Summary: Telemundo buys SimCity3000 engine, but renders sims better
Review: Not listed above, it does run on winXP. People pointing rifles at your capital building is kinda wrong. Hot keys do a virus like take over of the machine after you are done, forcing a reboot (i.e., 'r' brings up the run menu). Otherwise this spanish sim is more fun that the first SimCity. Earth grid and weather look exactly like SimCity3000. When you start there are no easly levels, but there is one Moderate so it is kind'a a pain to figure out who needs what. And eventually you grow to hate your people, so I'm giving it a 3 for that. But it is a good step forward in Sim graphics and humor.
Rating: 
Summary: The Tropico Demo
Review: This is just plain addictive! The best part is the character selection...so many dictators, so little time. As El Presidente you have absolute control over all the people on your little island and if anyone causes trouble just have them shot or jailed! The gameplay is pretty addictive, but I think it loses a star because it can get pretty repetitive. Nonetheless, this is an excellent game.
Rating:
Summary: cheap fun...
Review: For cheap thrills, Tropico is a good game. By now, it can be bought in most stores for around $10. While the premise of being the dictator of your own island is an intruiging one, there are a couple of quirks that keep the game from really living up to its promises. Asassinate a rival political candidate to ensure your victory in the upcoming election and another person instantly steps up to run against you. Kill the new candidate and another volunteers! Don't they get the hint?! The game is too short. You can only rule for a maximum of 70 years. (Isn't Castro going on year 115?) On the more difficult settings, it is almost impossible to make any cool progress in this amount of time. Freighters arrive to buy exports only a few times a year and large buildings take forever to build (especially if they are built away from the center of your town, like airports and hotels) For the price of a cheap dinner out or a few video rentals, Tropico delivers some enjoyable and silly gameplay.
Rating:
Summary: Great Game
Review: I'm a Sims fan and I play it all the time but when I need a break from it; Tropico is where I go. You get to create a beautiful island of tropical paradise for tourists. I highly reccommend this game to anyone who enjoys building.
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