The Political Machine is the ultimate political test: do YOU have what it takes to become President of the United States of America? You can explore this question in four formats: Quick, Campaign, Multiplayer and Fantasy. These different formats vary in small ways and the underlying play remains the same.

In Quick, you play using the latest available polling data which can be updated from a website. You can tweak only a few factors, such as choosing between a weak and strong economy or world peace and WWIII. Campaign mode is much the same, only your opponent is pre-chosen for you by the computer, and you must battle your way up a ladder, each time facing tougher opponents. Fantasy mode is almost exactly like Quick, except you can mold the statistical demographics to your liking. This mode features a "randomize issue importance" option, which I highly suggest; I was amused to find that my stance on welcoming space aliens drastically improved my chances in California, but my stance on cloning Elvis killed me in Texas.

In each of these modes, you get to choose your candidate from a list of about twelve democrats and republicans. Some are well known, such as Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, George Bush and Condoleezza Rice, and some are not, such as Mike Forbes, Jeffory Jackson, and Chloe Sullivan. In Fantasy and Quick you can choose your opponents as well. In Campaign, more candidates are unlocked as you win.

Then the actual race begins. Both candidates have a certain preset amount of endurance per turn, and to do anything- fly to another state, build a headquarters, fundraise, give speeches, print newspaper ads- costs endurance. Each turn lasts a week, and you have 41 weeks until Election Day. One important use for endurance is building of endorsement capital. Once you have enough capital, you can pick up endorsements from environmentalists, gun lobbyists, minority lobbyists, or several other special interests groups. Pick carefully, as siding with the gun lobby won't win you any points in the more Democratic states. You can also use that capital to purchase Political Operatives who can help smear your opponent or act as spin-doctors and help you accumulate the ever-important 270 electoral votes.

Ah, electoral votes: therein lies the rub of this game. As anyone with a cursory understanding of politics knows, the most important states are those with the most electoral votes: New York, California, Florida and Texas, for example. It is entirely possible (in real life as in the game) to win the election by getting only the votes of the New England states, Florida, and California. Even as you read this, our current presidential contenders are focusing on the few same key states that will mean victory or defeat. In short, this game can be incredibly formulaic: win the key states, and win the election. Once you learn to focus your attention on a total of a dozen states, this game can become ridiculously stale.

The process by which you win those states is simple as well. When you campaign or create ads, you can choose a topic and speak about how either you or your opponent does or does not support a certain cause. Each state has listed its most pressing issues. Unsurprisingly, every state's biggest concerns are the same: the war in Iraq, The War on Terror, and more jobs. Does it really take a brilliant political strategist to realize that talking about how you support The War on Terror will win you more points than talking about something controversial like abortion? I won several times by giving speeches only about how I support The War on Terror and wish to create more jobs; two areas no one can possibly be against.

Although this game has definite drawbacks and the replayability is relatively low once you find a good formula, there are some good lessons and fun to be had. Watching how fickle the country can be- at one point rooting for you, then suddenly switching when they're swayed by your opponent's good speech- gives you a much deeper appreciation for the frustration that goes into any campaign. The multitasking definitely gives your brain a workout, and if you're brave you can try wild new strategies, like campaigning on a purely pro-alien encounter platform. Also, I must admit, there are few things as stimulating to me as making Dick Cheney pick up the National Women's Organization endorsement and being able to read the headline "KERRY DEFEATS BUSH!"

It must be noted that this is a good family game as it is highly educational, but its nuances probably make it too difficult for anyone younger than 13. It's more likely that the older, more politically-savvy set will appreciate this game, especially since some of the candidates, like Ronald Regan, exist for kids only in history books. In short, if you love politics and want to test your ideal platforms, or if you really just want to see certain politicians trounced in the polls, pick up a copy and live out your political fantasy today. It's certainly more fun than following the current election.