Tropico 2: Pirate Cove

"You can't shiver me timbers...without timbers?"

Hey ho ho! You'll cruise to foreign shores. And you'll keep your mind and body sound by working out of doors! Some say that pirates steal and should be feared and hated. I say they’re victims of bad press it's all exaggerated. They’re just about the nicest guys you'd ever want to meet! (Muppet Treasure Island) This here be a good game. Yar really feel like yar really in the tropics kidnappin scurvy captives to do yar slave work. YO HO HO!!!
Story

You and a shipload of other people escape a tobacco plantation. You end up on an island outside of the law’s reach. You are elected king of the island. You had better not screw up, because there are many other men waiting for your job. You have no industry of any kind, and no one on your island is willing to do any work. Therefore, you choose piracy.

Game Play

The game play has a major fault. You cannot control any of the people. That can pose problems because if you have two taverns on your island, and one of them has a major supply of beer and the other one has no beer at all; you are unable to make your supplier go and supply the tavern without beer. He will just keep loading up the same tavern as he always has. So, the only way to fix that is make another brewery. (as far as I know) That can be very frustrating. Other than that, there aren’t many big problems that I found. Working the game is very easy and user friendly. There are many options to how you want your tavern or your wench house to run. For instance, your wench house can be cheap, average, or expensive. They can do it in the back alley, a real bed, or change the sheets. They all appeal to certain pirates.

Graphics

Graphics are average. They are not “bad,” just average. The frame rate, however, is good. It flows smoothly. Buildings and water look like they should, the graphics are very clear and not pixilated at all. That’s about it.

Sound

The music is outstanding. It has a very tropical, yet pirate sound to it. Unless you are the kind of person that hates the steel drums and Bob Marley type of music, you probably won’t like it too much. Some of the songs actually sound like something pirates would sing back in the day. I bought the soundtrack.

Length and Replay Value

You will force yourself to stay up all night playing this game and just be sick of it for a couple days. The game has scenarios. Different things like: stay in power for 30 years, make the pirates happy, etc.

Bottom Line

This game is very worth getting when it is on sale. Do not pay full price.

Story – 9
Game Play - 7
Graphics - 7
Sound - 9
Length and Replay - 8

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/26/03, Updated 07/26/03