Positech Games is now offering beta access to Democracy 3 to those who preorder the next installment in their strategy series based on the intricate inner workings of government. Preorders are being accepted through this site, and the beta is available for Windows, OS X, and Linux, and all customers will also get a Steam key for the final release. Here's their campaign:

Positech Games, developers of Gratuitous Space Battles, Are happy to announce that once more they are bringing Democracy to the people of the world! Democracy 3 is the third in their series of complex and deep political strategy games where the player takes on the role of President or Prime Minister, charged with the task of keeping the population happy, the economy booming and preventing society collapsing around them.

Democracy 3 is the only game of its kind. Not an election-simulation, but a government-simulation, built around a custom-programmed neural network and unique iconic user interface that represents the thousands of simulated voters, pressure groups, policies, laws and statistics that make up a detailed model of a western democracy.

As president, you decide what laws to set, which taxes to raise (or cut) which government programs to expand, introduce or cancel, whilst keeping one eye on the countdown to the next election. All political careers end in failure, and Democracy 3 is thus a game that cannot truly be won, only eventually lost.