Gathering of Developers had a hit on its hands, and expanded it with the Paradise Island expansion. The sequel's pirate theme was made public early on. Now, the gaming community hadn't really seen a good (non-Threepwood-related) pirate game since the Pirates titles. Expectations were high. And also, huh? Management strategy with pirates?

Pirates were not exactly known for their management prowess, if you know what I mean.

With a bit less fanfare than the original Tropico, Tropico 2: Pirate Cove swashbuckled onto shelves. And somehow, the pirate management genre works. It's not action-packed, to be sure, and that may turn off a few potential players. But Frog City (previously known for the Imperialism series) and Gathering (they've dropped the Developers bit) have a modest success.

Why modest? On the surface, Pirate Cove is just a bit too much like its predecessor. Check out the screen shots -- they're pretty damn familiar, no? Everything is in the same browns and greens as Tropico; the game looks like an expansion pack being passed off as a stand-alone title.

Which is less than fair. Gameplay is absolutely unique, and reflects what it might be like to lord over a populace of bloodthirsty freebooters and their unwilling servants.

The first major addition is a campaign. The player begins as a shipwreck victim who, with the help of a pirate captain, must build a ship to escape being stranded on a tropical isle. This is followed by a series of missions following the player's career as a pirate (both freelance and as a privateer for European powers). Unfortunately, here lies Pirate Cove's first big problem: The missions don't really carry over. Some do take place on the same island, but all the player-placed buildings disappear. (A later mission also lets some money carry over.) It disrupts the illusion of a game-world piratical career.

As with Tropico, the stand-alone scenarios offer various challenges based on amount of money, happiness, patron powers and so forth. There's also a sandbox mode, and a custom-character builder very like that of the first game.

So where are the changes? In the gameplay.

Pirate Cove has two populations: The pirates, who love anarchy and safety, and the captives, who rely on discipline and fear to be kept in line. Thus management is a delicate balancing act: Too much of one group's pleasure, and the other will become unhappy and revolt. As in Tropico, the balance is kept via buildings and edicts. The pirates will want entertainment after months at sea, and the ability to relax without fear of invasion. They'll also want provisions and weapons. The captives must be used to provide most of the above, as well as the raw materials to make it all happen.

Thanks to the use of slave labor, low-level buildings are free (aside from the cost in raw materials like lumber). Pirates, though, aren't as forgiving, and money can buy them happiness. Not to mention beer, rum, wenches and other entertainment.

But where does one get slaves, not to mention money? Raids, and here's a great feature: You direct a ship's crew to raid a nearby settlement or cruise shipping lanes. They do what they do best, and bring back loot, captives and new recruits. Some of the captives are wealthy; they treat the island as a resort (visiting all the entertainment outlets) and can be ransomed for quick cash. To do this, of course, you'll need swords, cannon, rations and muskets, either via the black market or island industry. This can make for some long wait times, even on the fastest setting, to generate lumber, then corn, then iron, then... you get the idea.

That hurts Pirate Cove, really, because the same crowd that loves pirates often isn't patient. Even I found myself wandering away from the computer at times, waiting for all those beginning pieces to fall into place. But fall they do, and soon enough you'll be directing raids and ransoming captives.

Pirate Cove is a good successor to Tropico. It's an interesting direction to take the series -- kudos to Frog City there.

There are some areas that could be improved, but fans of management sims will still want to give this title a look.