I wish she had kept Bunten's website up; I spent hours reading it. The Seven Cities of Gold really had an effect on me, probably hundreds of hours of play.
https://web.archive.org/web/20110725030033/http://www.anticl...
https://web.archive.org/web/20110725030033/http://www.anticl...
My friend showed me how to get more food. Just stand in a village and let the natives attack. The food counter would rise. I had to explain it to him that is was rising because his soldier count was decreasing. Once he realized that, he had to restart.