Recent reviews by monocle man -

Democracy 3 is to put it simply, a pretty damn decent game!
It seems suprising that a game that is wholly information presented as graphs and sliders could indeed qualify as a game and as a good one, but Democracy 3's fascinating concept and the depth of the information that is presented overall makes it a detailed and enjoyable one.

Democracy 3 is essentially a sandbox game, although you do have to enjoy the support of enough of the electorate to gain a majority and win the forthcoming election, otherwise you essentially 'lose' the game. It is not necessary to possess a deep knowledge of the workings of politics excetera, all the issues presented are ones that anyone can have an opinion on, be it legalisation of all drugs (yes), almost complete free immigration or even the *almost* complete removal of state provision for healthcare. These issues all have sliders which range from one side of the debate to the other. These decisions will affect your popularity amongst the many different demographics in the game (such as Ethnic Minorities or Motorists), and areas for 'concern' will show up as a consequence of your policies, or will already be apparent when you start the game, sort of a challenge to make Democracy 3 more of a 'game'. A more libertarian ideology could lead to greater growth in the economy but also lead to an epidemic of obesity.

There are some issues with the game, namely the lack of reflection to the situation in real life countries in some cases or bizzare interactions that occur as a result of decisions. The topics aren't specific to a country, but that isn't a major issue. The developers have done a good job at reflecting a country's demographics in the game. However there are some strange interactions, such as the creation of a space station angering the religious population. It does seem very easy to change policies which could annoy religious followers - such as the sole teaching of evolution - without any real consequence. But this is essentially nitpicking.

I would recommend this game to anyone that is remotely interested in politics or at least enjoys the idea of the effect of them being the Prime Minister on the population. The statistics and the political compass (shows where you stand politically, based on your policies, and also compares your position to Steam friends) increase the intrigue of the game and the depth of it. It is a detailed and well made game.