You can control individual departments and turn them off or on depending if you need more food or wood etc. The buildings show their sphere of influence, but then again everyone is so demanding that you HAVE to supply an area, and if the supply dwindles by just one unit, everyone drops in class. Game play is decent. It takes a while to learn what goes where and how it influences another area, and the trading can be a little hard to get a hold of, i still find myself having to double check to wether or not i selected the correct option. Overall, it takes some learning, you have to learn a few tricks, but control is decent.
Graphics are good, clean and crisp, and the individual ourlines are well defined.
Overall, not much to complain about. Sound is monotinous, with the occasional cow 'moo' or chopping of wood depending on where your screen is centered. However the constant guitaring and repetative sounds do add to a trance like state, it helps in passing the time and distracting you from the frustrations of the dependency from island hopping. It is very addicting, and fairly easy to figure out. If you cant figure out something, there are numerous internet boards as well as the official site to look for help.