That said, simulation fans are going to absolutely love this hot salsa.

As is obvious by most of its art, the game takes place on what’s essentially Cuba. The player has just been installed as dictator — errr, presidente — and must tackle the challenge of catering to not only the island’s political factions but the United States and Russia. There are plenty of ways to go about this, from the benign sort of everybody-wins rule to crushing all opposition with military might.

That’s what makes Tropico so fun: the opportunity to be bad or good, which has become something of a theme in great games this year. The problems, aside from the horrendous manual, come with micromanagement once the island is up and running. But more on that later.

First, to the island! The game begins in 1950, with the player taking the role of leader on Tropico. After selecting from a stable of famous dictators (or creating one from scratch), it’s time to get the island up and running. Farms provide food and cash crops; government and infrastructure buildings keep citizens under control; tourism brings money. The player can also issue edicts from time to time, depending on what support is available.

These edicts are really what sets Tropico apart, because without them the game is one more "race for money" empire builder. The edicts force the player to adopt a moral code. Want to be loved? Provide plenty of food and education. But prepare to have the military side against you. Want to be feared? Issue martial law or eliminate opposition members. But then you’d better watch for rebel uprisings. Want to be pious? Ban contraceptives or burn books. But then it’s harder to lure skilled workers.

The social model here is actually a very complex balancing act that warrants whole theses instead of a Web site review. Tropicans are influenced by family and their surroundings, and act accordingly. It’s a great thrill to watch.

Graphics are fairly good. The colors schemes are bright and sunny, and buildings are true to the game’s 1950 beginning. The Tropicans as individuals are fun to watch (and one feature lets you know what they’re thinking), thanks to the smooth animation.

One more thing: The music rocks. Though there are only a few tunes that repeat, they’re all incredibly catchy Latin beats. I find myself humming ‘em even when I’m not playing.

Before I get into the bad stuff, readers should know that I absolutely cannot seem to remove Tropico from my CD-ROM drive. It’s not a technical problem; it’s just that this game is so fun that I overlook its flaws. To me, that speaks volumes about the folks behind it — these are quality game designers who even in relative failure (and I use that word very lightly) can craft a compelling, addictive sim.

First, the silly bad stuff. Only a few buildings can be rotated. That means they won’t always fit where you need ‘em. Sure, Tropicans are fairly forgiving about having to walk a bit, but I’d have been even happier could I provide a better living experience.

Second, this game is a RAM hog. Forget the minimum requirements listed: While playing on a system with 96 MB RAM, I had to turn down many of the options to stop the game from crashing. In a nice touch, you can actually watch how much memory this thing uses at any given time. It goes quickly.

I mentioned micromanagement earlier. It was a common occurrence for me to check on a school or church or clinic and find the workers there had up and left. Sometimes they left the island; sometimes they left for other jobs more in line with their beliefs. No matter what, I spent way too much time coming back and checking buildings just so my subjects wouldn’t go without. That took some fun out of the game.

Finally, the manual. Ay caramba, the manual. Huge parts of this thing are wrong, from pictures of buildings to their uses to explanations of the edicts. Most of it looks like sloppy cut-and-pasting. If you buy this game, take my advice: Toss the manual , play the tutorial and figure the rest out on your own.

The folks at PopTop won my love with Railroad Tycoon, and Tropico proves that these folks can cause a whole lotta hot, hot, hot fun. Here’s to hoping for more great stuff from them in the future.