[2][3][4] The game begins with the player having been given an exploration fleet by the Spanish crown, consisting of four ships, one hundred men, and some trade goods.

The game appears showing a city in Spain, a fairly simplified 2D side-scrolling representation of the town consisting of the player's home, a palace, a pub and an outfitters.

For instance, walking into the outfitters will bring up a menu allowing the user to buy supplies, men and trade goods.

Interaction in Spain is fairly limited; the player soon moves to the ships, at one end of the city map, to leave port.

When the player is on land as part of an exploration party, the same menu item creates a fort when men are dropped off in it.

Upon arriving in the new world, the player can explore the coastline, set up missionaries and forts, and interact with the native peoples.

The player has the option to peacefully trade with or conquer the natives, and can (with the right choices and luck) sometimes convert them, turning the village into a mission.

As a result, data storage and retrieval became a major issue, particularly as the developers did not want lengthy load times to interfere with the game.

The game ships with a single "world" closely modeled on the real one, including details as small as the Florida Keys and most well-known rivers.

Game maps include one or more "lost cities" that are hidden by a mountain icon in locations that are typically far from other land masses.

[7] Versions for the Commodore 64 and Apple II were released soon after in the same year, followed by the Mac and Amiga in 1985 and IBM PC compatibles in 1987.

[13] Seven Cities of Gold, Commemorative Edition won the 1993 Origins Award for Best Military or Strategy Computer Game.