Democracy 2 review

Full-time flip-flopping

GamesRadar+ Verdict

Pros

  • +

    Realistic and complex options

  • +

    Fun hides educational value

  • +

    Thought-provoking strategy

Cons

  • -

    Little going on visually

  • -

    No multiplayer

  • -

    Appeals to niche gamers

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First there was Democracy, and now there’s two of it. That’s right: the game of trying to stay in power thanks to the whim of the masses is back and much improved.

The core remains the same: your political world is divided into a network of issues and policies that interact as you change your emphasis on them. How much money you spend on law and order will have knock-on effects, such as demands for increases in taxing, or making your citizens feel a little less free. Adjusting and balancing policies is what makes Democracy 2 tick, and it’s astoundingly compulsive. Can you really hang on to power by taking a hard line against hippies? Maybe, if your voters are mainly conservatives.

More info

GenreStrategy
DescriptionThink you can run a country? Democracy 2 puts your grasp of government to the test with topics like stem cell research, binge-drinking, climate change, prostitution, unemployment, and even the death penalty.
PlatformPC
Release date28 January 2008 (US), (UK)
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