Editing Sid Meier's Colonization (section)

==Gameplay==
The game begins in 1492 [[Common era|C.E.]]; the player controls the colonial forces of either {{Flag|England}} England, {{Flag|France}} France, {{Flag|Netherlands}} The Netherlands, or {{Flag|Spain}} Spain; the other powers are controlled by the AI. This profoundly affects gameplay, since each uses different strategies. There is a choice between a historical map (America) or a randomly-generated map; the randomly generated map shifts the focus of the game toward exploration — in this mode the game has considerable replay potential.

The journey begins with two units travelling on a ship to the New World; as the ship moves into the unknown, the map is revealed. Subsequently, the New World is discovered, the Indians are met, a colony is built, colonists begin to change the land to be more productive, the ship is sent back to Europe to collect more colonists, any superfluous items are sold and the exploration of the world begins. The game revolves around harvesting food, manufacturing and trading goods. Resources gleaned from the land are converted into commodities and either used or sold (usually back in Europe). The prices of commodities fluctuates depending upon supply and demand; the more of a commodity that is sold by the colonial powers, the less the markets will be willing to pay for them. With money, a player is able to buy goods, recruit new colonists, or buy ships or artillery. While maintaining an income, the player is also required to protect his colonies from potential invasion through employing soldiers. Moreover, the player is required to manage his citizens effectively, educating the populace in various skills to increase their productivity in areas such as farming, gathering of resources, or manufacturing. There are three areas of employment in the ''Sid Meier's Colonization'' world: primary resource gatherers, secondary resource manufacturers, and the more specialized units such as soldiers, statesmen, pioneers, Jesuit missionaries, and preachers. The geography of the land determines the productivity of a colony. For instance, some squares produce great amounts of food, while others may produce greater amounts of ore or silver. Thus it becomes necessary to link various colonies together via trade roads (roads grant increased mobility of units) or sea trade routes, to transport goods from colonies where there is excess to those where there is demand.

Specialist buildings and special squares, as in ''Sid Meier's Civilization'', have greater output. Specialists, who produce more per turn, can be trained or recruited. Indentured servants and criminals are as good as ordinary colonists in primary production but not so good at manufacturing or statesmanship; but they can be transformed into improved unit types by education or experience. Missions established in Indian villages eventually encourage converts to join a colony; they are better than ordinary colonists at most outdoor pursuits, but not industrial ones.

Horses can be bought and sold, but they also multiply in any colony that has two or more of them and a food surplus. They help any colonist move further in a turn, add to military strength, and they allow Scouts to be created to meet with native settlements or foreign colonies.

Ships of several types ([[Caravel]], [[Merchantman]], [[Galleon]], [[Privateer]], [[Frigate]] and [[Man-O-War]]) can be purchased or built (Man-O-War can only be recruited during the War of Independence). They can move goods, horses, and colonists around, and some can attack. Wagon trains (which are built in colonies) move goods and horses on land, and can be used to trade with the native tribes.

Relationships must be carefully maintained with Indians and other colonial powers, from waging war and maintaining strategic defenses to offering tributes or "recruiting peacemakers" (''Benjamin Franklin'' and ''Pocahontas''). Destroying native settlements yields a quick profit and makes land available, but prevents the substantial long-term gains to be made by friendly bargaining and trading. Destruction of native settlements also counts against the player's final score.

The king of the player's home country meddles in colonial affairs from time to time, mostly by raising the tax rate. Occasionally they might force colonial armies into wars with rival colonies. The player must also pay attention to political developments and the recruitment of Founding Fathers (roughly corresponding to the Civilization Advances of ''Sid Meier's Civilization''), to ensure the best possible chance of success.

On the easiest level, the action essentially takes place at the speed in which the player wants it to. With each increase in difficulty level, the restrictions that bound successful endeavours become more pronounced. The game is eventually won by seceding from the motherland, signing the ''Declaration of Independence'' and defeating the armies which are sent to usurp the player's ‘unalienable rights’. Successful navigation through the game requires the player to formulate strategies, and to effectively make use of what resources are provided, to explore and cultivate the land and to negotiate between rivals. 

While the military aspect of the game is important, it is less so than in the ''Civilization'' series, focusing more heavily on aspects of trade and the inter-relationships between peoples and colonies, which make up the New World community. In doing all these things the player is required to develop certain fundamental notions which influence both the game world and the real world, such as: infrastructure restrictions and requirements, methods for increasing productivity, the importance of economic and civic growth, the centrality of trade, that some natural resources are more useful and more valuable than others, the importance of education, that newspapers and diplomats influence public opinion, that religion can affect people's allegiances, even that it’s more sensible to use the colonists who aren't proficient in a trade or profession as soldiers, the influence of historical figures on colonial New World societies, and the list goes on.