SimCity allows you to build a city from scratch or play out a scenario. When creating a city, a plot of land can be randomly produced or created using a terrain editor. Players are given a small amount of money to begin development. The one item that a city needs to get off of the ground is a power plant. Once that's built, players can develop their city however they want. Although actual buidings cannot be built, users will zone the land for commercial, industrial, and residential use. Sea ports and airports are the only buildings that are singled out. Roads, power lines, and parks can be individually placed.

After the city begins to grow it can be tracked using a variety of maps and charts. Population, land value, pollution, and traffic density can all be checked with the touch of a button. If a city has problems they can be fixed with a bulldozer command, or a natural disaster can be let loose to wipeout an area. ~ Jonathan Sutyak, All Game Guide