If Sim City is The Beatles of the city building genre then Tropico is the Rolling Stones, and this is it's Exile on Main Street. In simpler terms, Tropico 5 may not reinvent the franchise, but it's easily it's best work to date. It brings new ideas, like playing though different eras with your island into the fold but doesn't change what longstanding fans love about the franchise. The developers have done a great job creating a game that both pleases it's established fans as well as invites new players into the fold via a very easy to manage tutorial system. Tropico 5 may feel like the director's cut of the last game at times due to it not having a ton of new features but it's still the most complete game the franchise has ever seen.

"...does a great job at inviting new players in..."

If you've spent any time on the island of Tropico, you're sure to feel right at home here in the fifth installment. You take on the role of El Presidente, a completely customizable figurehead of the fictional tropical island and you'll be responsible for every aspect of its growth. You'll have to use every resource you can to build your barren land into a bustling world-power. While not much has changed for those who have played the series before, the game does a great job at inviting new players in via a great easy to use tutorial system. Being honest, the game, like most city builders has some pretty intricate modes, but the tutorial does a great job making them all seem manageable, something I thought the previous version of Sim City was missing.

The biggest change from Tropico 4 to 5 is the addition of three distinct eras in which you'll try to build your island. As you might expect, there are a ton of changes from the 19 to the 21 century and this plays well with the game, making you use different methods and strategies for success. In one scenario I found myself being more of an aggressive dictator than I could in one of the later eras (you'll have to worry about re-relections). To coincide with these new eras, Tropico 5 also introduces dynasties to the formula, so your El Presidente can appoint his children into key roles in the regime and ultimately to take over the top role. This all brings a new element to the strategy you'll have to devise to be successful in Tropico 5.

"...this is one island trip that well worth the investment."

If you're not one for the single-player campaign, Tropico 5 does have sandbox and multiplayer modes for you to dabble in but the bad news is that they play incredibly similar to the main campaign. The multi-player suite is the biggest addition, letting you play the game with up to four other players, but it often feels just like you're playing against the computer, just with other people vying for resources and trying to screw up your island. It's a great addition to the franchise and I look forward to how the developers can make the mode feel different from the rest of the game in the next game in the series.

It may not do much to reinvent the series but Tropico 5 is easily the best entry the series has seen. It tweaks the mechanics that have made the series with fans to create new ideas but at the same time makes itself accessible to new players that most established franchises only try to. A full upgrade may not be necessary to those still playing and loving the last Tropico game, but this is one island trip that well worth the investment, whether you're an experienced traveler or this is your first visit.