Each time you play a game, a group of agents will already be at your disposal, but if you prefer new agents, you can fire those you don't like and replace them. There are 24 agents to choose from and their choice must be based on your needs as it will cost you money to hire them. Each agent has one, two or even three special skills such as negotiation, employment, industrial, local ecology, exploration, etc. Well, enough talk about the view and its interface, and let's take a look at the agents. The other arrows on the interface map are used to pan the view in the direction you want to move, but you can also use the mouse directly on the view by clicking on the right button to advance where you want to go. The colored legend indicates the zones on the map with the brightest colors for rich deposits or important amounts of pollution or traffic for example, and the contrary for poor deposits. The satellite view offers a two-dimensional map of the terrain that allows you to visualize many things such as iron and coal deposits, polluted zones, routes, industrial areas, logging spaces, etc. If you are curious to see what the island orientation arrows do to your view, check it out, but you will quickly realize that it is not very useful. However, the default view is the same as in Sim City 2000 which is far the best, and I strongly recommend everyone to keep it like this.
This way, you will gradually pass from a flat perspective with a vertical view to a ground-level viewpoint with the kind of perspective that we, humans, are used to when we look around us. You can also rotate the map 90ΓΈ degrees to the left or to the right depending on which arrow you selected, and also lower or raise your point of view. There are three levels of zoom from a general panorama of the island to a more appropriate "working" map to closely watch what is going on. There are no icons representing the various types of buildings and other facilities, but instead you will find photos of the agents that you can select for different tasks. The very first thing you will recognize is the 3D isometric view like in Sim City 2000, but if you compare the two of them longer, you will notice many differences. Therefore, you will easily understand that I was very happy when the final version of Sim Isle arrived on my desk. "Sleepless nights in Sim City" could be the book's title where I would describe the countless hours I spent on this game and especially on its sequel, Sim City 2000. Since the first Sim City, I have always enjoyed Maxis games for their ability to develop highly addictive games. Will you turn your island into a tourist trap, suck all the resources out of it, or leave it an unspoiled and pristine haven? It's all up to you. Like all Maxis sims, a wide variety of graphs, charts, and maps allow you to plot your progress toward the goal of the scenario. If your agent does not have the right skills to do the job, nothing will happen. This game introduces agents, who you send about the island in order to carry out your directives. There is no specific scenario associated with this island. There is also one island, with a giant ghostly "X" on it, which you can shape and mold any way you wish. Five small islands comprise a tutorial that teaches the things you need to know to play the game. Unlike SimEarth, SimTower, or SimCity, SimIsle - subtitled "Missions in the Rainforest" - allows you to take over the development of any number of islands in a long chain.