So, is it any good, compared to the first Tropico?
Yes. I'd say better except for the radio person. Even the music is better in my opinion. That one song where the guy meows like a cat and then does a weird laugh got stuck in my head.
The radio announcer was a good idea, but I think they should have had a few recordings for each event, so you don't hear him say the same damn thing over and over. Even a little bit of variation would have gone a long way. I miss the announcer guy from T1 too. (looks at his corpse) Soo sad!
El Presidente's speeches are very amusing though. Also, being able to run El Presidente around your island to increase productivity was a good idea. He can even fight off a small rebellion... with a pistol.
The best thing about T3 is probably the roads system. It really, really, improved how the economy performs in a non-optimally designed island. For instance, in T1, the thing that always ruined my economy was the fucking dockworkers and them not being at the dock to load my exports and receive my cash before the freighter leaves because they decided to build a shack or live in a tenement on the far side of the island by the farms because his wife is a farmer. Since he will be busy with such unimportant things (to me) such as church and feeding himself in addition to the long walk, they tended to allow a large backlog in the docks which means I go below -10,000 in the treasury, which means my military rebelled due to the wage limit. Now, with T3 and a garage with it's free supply of vehicles he merely walks to the garage and drives on the road to the dock where the car disappears. Since the dockworkers are nearly the most important tropicans and at least 70% of your income only comes in when they are working, it's a big difference.
EDIT: Also, you can let the Yanquis nuke your island for $10,000. I never did it, but I have a feeling you can divert it to your Swiss Bank account. In hindsight, what sort of dictator would not do this for his people given the option? Especially minutes before being forcibly evicted from your humble palace? Mutations, tumors, and an early, possibly slow and painful death for all is my parting gift to you, my companeros!