ProjectBrasil

You have to obtain 50% or more of popularity to be re-elected every 4 years. The increase of the cash and the population of your city, comparing with the first of your four-year government, increases your popularity. The lack of something ProjectBrasil asks you for building (such as schools, nurseries, hospitals, etc) reduces your popularity. Take care with the deforestation rate, it also can take your popularity down.

• Try to start building a little road (such as 4 asphalt blocks) and delimit residential and commercial areas next to it, because nothing will grow if it isn't next to a road;
• Don't forget to supply the road with power lines;
• Remember that residential areas increase your population and commercial areas increase your cash. Try to balance the use of them;
• The commerce only will grow if there's people to buy. Some kind of business (banks, supermarkets, shops, gas stations, hotels, restaurants, small markets and office buildings) will grow depending on the amount of people, the competition in its specific segment and the distance from residential areas;
• Shoppings Centers need 3 commercial lots horizontally joined for growing;
• The Hot Hint: Don't build anything such as water pumps, schools, police departments, hospitals, etc if ProjectBrasil doesn't ask you for (showing you a messagebox). If ProjectBrasil doesn't ask you for, it's because you don't need to;
• The collected taxes of port units depends on the population and the amount of business of your city;
• When you put pass a year for the first time, ProjectBrasil will ask you for building a water pump, next to a lake. Try to choose a good place for it, thinking in your city growth;
• Don't try to build a big city in few years. Think as a mayor: the objective is to be re-elected the more times you can, if you build a big city in few years, it'll be hard to keep on growing it… The objective is not build a big city!

Apart from the necessity of being re-elected, ProjectBrasil, which I found on a 1997 shareware CD, is basically a simplified SimCity. Like so many shareware games, it has been developed over the years, the latest version is ProjectBrasil 2000 2.33. It looks slightly better (graphics are the same, but always displayed at correct size) and allows you to stay as a dictator if you don't get re-elected.

ProjectBrasil is a fairly fun, but in no way remarkable game. But how could I resist adding the first Brazilian game to this collection?