Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 23
  2. Negative: 0 out of 23
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  1. It's like the developers read my review and fixed everything I complained about in the first game.
  2. Graphics whores will inevitably be put off by the old school look and feel of the title, but if you can get past that, this is one of the best god games the PC has seen in quite a while.
  3. 88
    The kind of great sequel that should be encouraged - it builds on the solid base of the original, cleans up most of the problems and manages to stake out its own territory in the process.
  4. Tropico 2 is a wonderful game worth its weight in buried golden treasure.
  5. Despite its flaws, Pirate Cove is a very engaging game, made all the better by being the first title that doesn’t just make gambling, drinking, wenching and plundering in the Caribbean a recommendation, but a requirement.
  6. 84
    It also possesses those characteristics you'd want from just about any game, including a strong interface, good game balance, a bit of whimsy, attractively animated graphics and pleasantly anachronistic, modern Caribbean music.
  7. It looks good and sounds good and is fun and breezy to play, but it also gets repetitive after several missions, and it doesn’t offer the kind of variety other tycoon games do.
  8. Argh, it's good to be the pirate king! But it'd be even better if you could do some of the plundering yourself.
  9. Cheat Code Central
    80
    More user-friendly than the original. It's much more free despite what appears to be an overwhelming amount of decisions and option. This is a good thing however and thanks to the handy interface it couldn't be made easier.
  10. 80
    There's plenty of depth to the gameplay, and there's tons of scenarios to play, plus the sandbox mode, so it ought to keep you going for ages.
  11. As an intellectual toy, Tropico 2 is fascinating and detailed; as a game, it's enormously addictive.
  12. Game Informer
    80
    The first Tropico offering was a bit wittier, and a touch more engrossing, but the Pirate theme is done as well as possible in this title. [June 2003, p.116]
  13. The gameplay will keep everyone busy for awhile, but after some time spent building the pirate island, things become more of a waiting game than anything else.
  14. Surprisingly, there is no option for random generation of islands, nor is there any scope for multiplayer frolics, making it feel rather limited.
  15. At some point, the game is bound to become tedious and there's not much in it that would increase its replayability... The game lacks the hugeness of "Sim City" and the exciting twists of, say, "Caesar 3."
  16. Fans of "Tropico" may wish that Frog City had developed a more direct descendant of the original--the mechanics are basically the same, but Tropico 2 is a very different game.
  17. In spite of its new content and subtle tweaks, Pirate Cove will not feel like a new game to anyone who played the original. It will feel like a mod. A clever, polished mod -- a mod that would have made a fine retail expansion pack -- but a mod nonetheless, and not worthy of its status as a full-fledged sequel.
  18. I have played many city-building games over the years, but this one almost suffers because of its pirate theme, showing you by glaring contrast all the raucous fun that you're missing.
  19. PC Gamer
    62
    The pirate decor is barely a skin-deep covering on a sim that could just as easily have been made about the ACME Widget Factory. [July 2003, p.68]
  20. Computer Gaming World
    60
    A competently done city building game with nothing to set it apart from the crowd. [July 2003, p.80]
  21. Computer Games Magazine
    60
    Doesn't come through with enough swashbuckling, ship-boarding flair. For all the many improvements in this sequel, it still has many of the same fundamental problems of the first game. [July 2003, p.74]
  22. 60
    Aside from the new gameplay direction and interface tweaks, Tropico 2 is functionally the same game as the original. It's visually pleasing, but lacks ambient animations that would really help bring your island to life.
  23. GMR Magazine
    50
    An otherwise pedestrian city-building game, only Tropico 2's setting salvages it from being a complete shipwreck. [July 2003, p.79]

Awards & Rankings

User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 43 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 43
  2. Negative: 2 out of 43
  1. Oct 3, 2016
    6
    This is a bit different game comparing to Tropico 1, and it's not a better one, as for my opinion. Gameplay is not that catching, andThis is a bit different game comparing to Tropico 1, and it's not a better one, as for my opinion. Gameplay is not that catching, and simulation feels a bit strange. Graphics are more or less ok, but again, I liked Tropico 1 more. But anyway, it's worth a try for a management strategy game lover. Full Review »
  2. Apr 17, 2022
    7
    Dobra je ali je mnogo repetativna, kada napravis jednom sve sva ostala scenarija su u globalu ista, posle nekog vremena sam buljio u telefonDobra je ali je mnogo repetativna, kada napravis jednom sve sva ostala scenarija su u globalu ista, posle nekog vremena sam buljio u telefon dok sam igrao tako da ono, nmp meni nes zanimlj bila jedinica :D Full Review »
  3. GertK.
    Apr 7, 2006
    9
    One of the best games I've ever played. Much better than Tropico 1. Lost quite a few days in finishing this one.