"Let's face it," says Positech, "you could hardly do a worse job than our current political leaders."

"Crime, Unemployment, National Debt, Terrorism, Climate Change," Positech - the Redshirt studio -muses. "Have you got the answers to the problems that face western industrialized nations?" If so, take a shot at Democracy 3, now out at GOG, as well as Steam and the developer's website. Bear in mind, it draws on the events of the last few years to create its in-game timeline, so if you're the sort who blows a gasket when certain topics come up, maybe you should tread carefully. Or just punish the rich. Whatever floats your Donkey and/or Elephant.

You just can't beat the timing, really. You get to run an entire virtual country, with voting groups pulling you every which way in an effort to get you to create policies that suit them. There's a lot going on under the hood, but Democracy 3's icon-based interface helps show you what's going on - and how one thing affects all the rest - without breaking your brain. Think you can convince the nation to become socialist, atheist, or theist? It's not impossible, but it will want very careful policy nudges; one wrong step, and you're out of office.

If nothing else, you could always hold a nice tea party to calm your nerves. This one'll set you back about $25, more or less, whether from Steam, GOG or Positech

Source: Positech.