A game of international military, economic and political simulation. Did I mention Global Thermonuclear War?
That is, until a month later, you sit back down at the computer, and decide to give the game another go. Fourty-eight hours, several energy drinks, and enough coffee to double Columbia's trade, you have balanced the US budget, are running a surplus, finally invaded those pesky Canadians, ended the Illegal Immigration issue by Annexing Mexico, and have taken control of the valuable oil deposits in the Middle East. To its credit, SP2 has an amazingly complicated economic and trade system, and has a very flexible international relations structure. Treaties can be made from coalitions against a nation, to trade embargoes, to weapons trade treaties. The economic and political systems are equally complicated.
Unfortunately, the economic system can be a little bit buggy and unpredictable, prone to sudden economic collapse later on in the game. The combat system is also very hands off, allow little control other than the macro-movement of units around the globe. There is a definite, "Anything can happen" feeling to a game of SP2. You might have a United States that sets off to take over the world, or a massive war in the East as China and Russia duke it out for Siberian oil resources. As for the graphics, they are simplistic, and not award winners. Much of the diplomatic and economic maneuvering is done from Windows like pop up menus, leaving the world map for the movement of military units. The map itself and the unit symbols put the player in the mood of being in a situation room at a "secure location" somewhere, and the Strategic Weapons control, where you watch your nuclear weapon launches, and your enemy's counter launches, puts you in the mood of being deep inside NORAD as you watch World War 3 play out in front of you. The Music is limited, but good, ranging from sad, mourning pieces to sharp military marches. Unfortunately, after about your first hour into the game, it gets a little repetitive, but after the second hour, you generally stop caring about the music as you mitigate, or create, the next international crisis. SP2 is not a game for the casual player. You have to have a firm grasp of economic policy to get anywhere in the game. Again, it is a niche game, for the wargamer only. If you don't care about, or like, complicated economics, tangled webs of treaties, or Global Thermonuclear War, Superpower 2 is the game for you.