Overall though, Tropico 4 was a delightful experience. It made some incredibly useful changes and additions to gameplay while maintaining the heart of the Tropico series. And the annoyances were few and far between enough that this title is worth turning on again and again. Viva la Tropico!

Tropico 4 may not look massively different from the previous game, but the improvements made under the hood make this game a must for anybody that loved Tropico 3, or anyone that loves management sims.

Yes, El Presidente, You should make the bid for power in Tropico 4. It has got a little more depth than the predecessor in just the right places.

8 point more than the nearly identical predecessor? Yes, because Tropico 4 is a lot more polished and easier to unterstand. And there is a story with surprises and funny radio moderators.

The latest Tropico's sole problem is the fact that the visuals are not very different from the previous game in the series. Other than that it's an immensely absorbing title and the built-in editor along with the ability to share user created scenarios will guarantee its longevity. [October, p.42]

Continuist? without doubt Tropico 4 is more an expansion than a sequel and the new elements are only complementary to the same key mechanics and ideas from Tropico 3. However, it's still a quality game and the much welcomed refinements and light improvements make it a better game. Especially recommended for players with no experience in Tropico, but still a good buy for any maganement fan.

I'm having a blast with Tropico 4, but I know it's not for everyone. Tracking stats, managing an economy and building a million projects at once keeps me engaged, but without a little patience to learn the interface it'll overwhelm many a strategy newcomer.

Who would have thought that playing a dictator could be so much fun. You are the one in control of developing your own island. New dictators might be a bit intimidated by the amount of options the game offers, but fortunately you can get a little help if you want. Because you're able to create your own playstyle, Tropico 4 will be able to keep you busy for many hours.

Tropico 4 is the top simulation game I'll be recommending to genre newbies and fans alike.

Tropico 4's campaign alone is an incredibly meaty experience that you could easily lose yourself in for forty hours or more. And you can always build your own challenges or play the Sandbox mode as well.

A good-looking, accessible, charming city-builder. Not much new here from Tropico 3, but lots of potential for Tropico 5.

Whether Tropico 4 is really Tropico 3.5 is immaterial; it's fun, it's cheap, and it's worth playing.

If nothing else you're getting a lengthy, brand new campaign out of it, and there's just enough refinement to make it an obvious improvement over the previous title. Also, the game has an incredible amount of charm built into its setting.

Tropico 4 carries similar almost A-grade production values to its predecessors, is thematically identical, is bug-free if not entirely polished visually and it has a raft of new features for you to enjoy - it just struggles to earn that numerical update to its name.

Accomplished, amusing city-builder sequel that's more evolution than revolution. [Nov 2011, p.64]

The game expands and improves the series, making it more approachable than ever, but without losing depth, so it offers the same fun, but improved. However, it evolves little in comparison with the previous entry, so those who enjoyed Tropico 3 won't find many new things in this fourth installment.

Regardless of whether or not you desire innovation in Tropico 4, it remains one of the most enjoyable and charming city building games of current times.

Things may not be perfect this time out, but I do my best, and my reign ends on my terms. I make a beeline for the New Game button, vowing to stick to my proven playbook from the get-go.

If you've got time to kill, Tropico 4 is perfect. It hasn't changed much since its predecessor, but it's still an excellent simulation – something that's welcome in the era of visuals-conscious FPSs and lacklustre adventure games. A modernised concept, that's perfectly period.

The pacing and presentation of objectives is what's really different: They make Tropico 4 feel fresh, despite the truly remarkable ripeness of the franchise's core mechanics.

The bright, crisp graphics of the Caribbean and the goofy, but lovable sense of humor exhibited throughout Tropico 4 make it instantly appealing, and the impressive depth of a people and city management sim layered on top of tried and true RTS style of play will keep you coming back.

Where it lacks in revolution it success in execution. Tropico 4 represents the best qualities found in city management simulators, and is the best entry yet in a beloved franchise.

While gameplay can become repetitive, the overall experience is very good and dealing with natural disasters or various tasks enlivens the gaming experience.

It's best to look at Tropico 4 as port of entry for new players. If you've never set sail for the island paradise's sunny climes, you'll be happy to know that the improvements allow you to enjoy a more accessible version of Tropico 3 without feeling like they've dumbed-down the content.

If you've never played any of those earlier games, and if you like city building, then by all means try out Tropico 4. But if you've played the earlier games, then you might be better off firing up Tropico 3 again rather than plunking down $40-50 for what amounts to a glorified expansion pack.

It can be argued that Tropico 4 is more of a mission pack than a full game. Priced at $40 while the DLC-loaded edition of Tropico 3 goes for $15, the expense may be hard to rationalize for largely similar gameplay. The new options are quite nice, but may not be enough to justify the game for casual fans of the series. Genre aficionados will lap up the new missions and new tweaks, and casual fans who are looking for a fun twist on the SimCity tradition will find Tropico 4 to be a solid, worthy experience that will last a while.

If you're a Tropico nut, then the idea of a few new buildings and a lengthy, engrossing campaign probably has you interested already. The only ones who might want to stay back are those who felt like they'd had enough one, or two, or three Tropicos ago.

Great for series newcomers, just an additional data pack for people that already played Tropico 3. But you'll definitely enjoy being El Presidente.

Enjoyable, if only because of the satisfaction that comes with virtually and successfully ruling a nation while getting rich. Actually, it's a bit like a really elaborate Communist Farmville, which shouldn't be-but absolutely is-awfully addicting.

All told, Tropico 4 is a good game. While it might not have revolutionized the series, it does a good job of fleshing out some of the options that Tropico 3 lacked.

A strategy game full of absorbing gameplay and a one of a kind dictatorship atmosphere. It's a pity that fans of the previous game could feel a little disappointed with a small amout of gameplay changes - sure, the whole campaign has been written from scratch but adding only a few new buildings, factions and challenges seems not enough. On the other hand, the developers managed to keep the original mechanics and used some well known patterns in a good way.

Tropico 4 is a likeable and engaging sequel that expands on its predecessor but doesn't offer much new depth.

It's not a great leap forward, but growing bananas and rigging elections remains remarkably entertaining. [Oct 2011, p.84]

It's certainly got the "accessibility" part down, and – despite its lack of long-term appeal – it's a uniquely humorous city builder that's worth a look on the merits of its well-honed core mechanics alone. As a sequel, though, Tropico 4's just passable. If only its developers had time control powers; then maybe they'd have eased off the fast forward button and taken the time to flesh out their game.

Enjoyable sequel to this series doesn't bring many improvements but despite that Tropico 4 is great and fun to play and there is no serious competition in its genre. [Oct 2011]

Quotation forthcoming.

It's hard not to like Tropico 4, because it's based on a solid foundation that is naturally engaging. It was and remains an enjoyable if slight take on a dry genre. Its tragedy is that it hasn't bothered to build anything worthwhile on top of that foundation, preferring instead to coast on jaunty music that makes you feel like you're playing in Nando's and broad satire that fails to sustain the game beyond the first few days of play.

Tropico 4 is hardly a new game at all. It feels and looks like the third game in the series and improves on only a few levels. At the same time, Tropico 4 is one of the better tycoon games in the past years. People who've missed the third game or fans that want more can rest easy and plan a vacation to this tropical paradise.

Taking control over the fictitious banana republic Tropico is still very entertaining. The changes from Tropico 3 are not overwhelming, but for new players the learning curve is a bit steep. However Tropico 4 is an addictive title and a safe alternative to Theme - and Sim -games.

A pointless rehash for series regulars, but if you've never experienced the joys of being a totalitarian dictator this is still good clean city-building fun.

A well-made instalment of the great game trying not to innovate itself, but pleasing its hardcore fans or newcomers nonetheless – by its new campaign with more assignments, an import option and by a several new buildings addition. One is just wondering why there are still some flaws in the game and why the Tropico 4 does not bear a title of an expansion pack?

Tropico 4 is a fantastic game, there's no denying it, but its core audience is the one that's likely to be most disappointed with it.

Tropico 4 is hardly a full-fledged sequel; it's more of an expansion – utterly derivative, but well-polished – that got its number somewhere in the marketing department.

Tropico 4 isn't quite different from Tropico 3, but it's still a great economic strategy nevertheless. [October 2011, p.74]

Tropico 3 had a very clear progression of campaign missions, and while Tropico 4 does have a campaign, it seems more focused on intra-mission tasks rather than overall goals.

Whoever already owns a copy of a previous Tropico chapter won't find many reasons to buy this new chapter, gameplay is just the same and new features are too few to justify a full price.