Tropico Preview

PopTop, in conjunction with Dallas-based Gathering of Developers, has announced the development of a 3D building and strategy game called Tropico. In the game, players will take control of a newly instated leader on a small Caribbean island and will need to set the groundwork for the island's infrastructure by building homes, hotels, factories, mines, hotels, and roadways. The gameplay is similar to PopTop's Railroad Tycoon II, but it mixes in a dose of Latin American political intrigue along with heavily updated graphics.

"PopTop specializes in creating 'virtual world' replicas of real life," said PopTop CEO Phil Steinmeyer. "With Tropico, we will provide gamers with a slice of political life, topsy-turvy third-world leaders and the nations they rule, pitting the rich against the poor, the army against the church, and natives vs. outside carpetbaggers."

Tropico is expected to release for the PC, Mac, and Dreamcast later this year. We'll keep you updated on its development, but in the meantime, take a look at these new screenshots.