Tropico 2: Pirate Cove (PC, G: 8+)

By PETER ELEY

(Herald rating: * * * *)

The original Tropico was a rum-filled romp on a Caribbean island, where you got to be a tinpot dictator who looked suspiciously like Cuba's Fidel Castro.

It was a refreshing take on God games, a genre, that lets you lord it over your minions in games that can be made to last for days, if not weeks.

But it was hard to see where a sequel could come from. Answer: forget about 20th-
century politics and go back to a much more interesting time in the Caribbean's history.

The islands were a magnet for pirates in the 17th and 18th centuries, who used them as a base to plunder Spanish galleons taking the riches of the New World back to Europe.

Tropico 2 makes you a swashbuckling leader of a gang of pirates who need to be kept well supplied with wine, women and other means of avoiding an honest day's toil although they're always keen for a spot of pillage.

It isn't really too different from the first game. Tropico's dictator and its follow-
up's pirate are both fairly reprehensible characters who don't care too much about their subjects.

The games look similar, too, with a richness of colour that gives a real tropical feel — you can almost taste the sugar cane.

And both have tons of humour. Tropico 2 is quite outrageous at times, with gambling dens, wench-houses and taverns to keep your pirates amused and raise cash for your coffers.

If the workers slack off, a spell in the stocks or a summary execution works a treat.

"The rating's a G8?" I hear you ask. But don't fret. It's all a bit yo-ho-ho, ahoy me hearties, over-the-top, caricaturish stuff which shouldn't really offend anyone.

After all, ever read Treasure Island? That had some serious violence and skulduggery yet it's rated as a children's classic.

* Email Peter Eley