Stardock Entertainment is pleased to announce the availability of The Political Machine (published by Ubisoft). The Political Machine is a strategy game in which players take on the role of campaign manager for a US Presidential candidate. In it players compete against either the computer or against other players via the Internet in a contest to win the White House.

Candidates must campaign, raise money, take out advertisements, win endorsements, and even go on cable TV news shows such as The O'Maley Scenario, Hard Hitter, Barry King, Barbara Sawyer, and 60 Seconds to answer tough questions on the issues of the day. The game map uses real demographic information to accurately portray the political landscape of the United States.

Candidates also must contend with and make use of political activists and operatives such as Spin-Doctors, Smear Merchants, Scandal Mongers, Media Consultants, and more on their journey to the White House.

"Our goal is to create a game that is both fun to play for gamers as well as realistic enough for political junkies to appreciate the underlying depth and detail in the game's political model," said Brad Wardell, Designer of The Political Machine.

Players can either use pre-made political candidates or design their own candidates. Pre-made candidates include real world politicians such as Bill Clinton, George Bush, and even historical candidates such Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and more.

The game also includes a fantasy mode in which players can tweak the map settings, as well as a campaign mode where players must work their way up a ladder of political opponents who get more difficult with each victory. Run your candidate against Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Thomas Jefferson and even George Washington on your way to ultimate mastery of the game.

Each game ends with victory for one of the candidates in the US electoral college. The game can be played against a computer controlled candidate or against another person playing over the Internet.

Users can learn more about the game on the game's home page https://www.politicalmachine.com which also contains more information and screenshots on the game.

The Political Machine is now available at most retail outlets or online as part of Stardock's TotalGaming.net service.