Bonus level 7

This is the one where you have to rebuild the gym and fix the mermaid's swimming pool. I am always short for food and cannot finish this level with 3 stars. The strategy guide says to collect food from the cocoa tree and I don't see one on the level. Am I missing something? Anybody have any tips?

Same here. There is no cocoa tree. I've tried this one a million times. If anyone can help, please!

This one is so hard, but I found out that making food your priority pick-up is the key (since there's no darned tree!). For instance if you just had some stone drop, but the food is going to drop in a couple of seconds wait for the food. Pick that up, then go get the stone. I noticed that I always had at least 20 or 30 of all the other supplies left at the end, but only 3 food, so you aren't hurting yourself by waiting those few seconds for the food.

I'm not very good at writing out how I did things, so you'll have to give me a break on it, but this is what I did (except when I panic and start clicking on anything that's available ):

Food and upgrade it - Build the Quarry - Clear the garlic on the path to the wood
Sawmill and upgrade it - Clear to Iron and mine the center gold pile

Clear the left garlic and the large rock - Build the Iron and start working towards the forge
Upgrade the Quarry and then the Iron - Build the Forge and upgrade it
Use the 'upgrade all buildings' icon

Finish clearing to the pool and Handyman - Build the Handyman
Clear the trap blocking the pool - Repair the pool and talk to the Mermaid

Clear the far left path while you - Remove the large rock at the center bottom
Remove the far left trap
Remove the other large rock at the center bottom - Build the left bridge and grab the bomb
Build the other bottom bridge (the one to the bottom right) and remove the trap

At this point I just try to do whatever is available, but have found it's better to pick up the barbells starting at the far left because it takes him longer to get there. Also make sure you have enough gold to get the barbells. If I remember right each barbell takes 20 gold to pick up so you'll need a total of 60 gold to get all 3 of them.

Build the gym and give the barbells to the giant while you're building the last bridge (the one that leads to the maze).

Hope this helps, and honestly I'm not so sure it matters exactly what order you clear in because I've done it with 3-stars several different ways. The big thing is to stay on picking up the food. Anyway, hope this helps and good luck!

Thanks Tyler2. I'm glad i was not the only one confused about the cocoa tree. I have gotten three stars finally on this level pretty much doing the same thing. Now onto 8....

I cannot get three stars. I've played a thousand times. Did you guys upgrade the food to level 3 early on without using the upgrade booster?

tyler2, did you use the boost to stop time or to speed up work?

Thanks!

Well, it took me many, many days of giving up then going back to this level but I finally ended with 3 stars with absolutely no time to spare. I did focus on collecting the food immediately upon its appearance and using the gathering and additional item bonuses together. I did not increase the food to level 3 prior to using the upgrade bonus. I worked a quickly as possible, following the strategy guide pretty closely. I was acting practically on autopilot by the time I finished; I must have tried this level at least a hundred times! I did find the I had to be careful not to use the gathering bonus too closely to upgrading the forge to level 2 so I had the upgrade bonus available as soon as I completed that task. Then I tried to use it in conjunction with the additional item as often as possible throughout. I stopped gathering wood toward the end after the gym and the pool were rebuilt and I realized I had enough to finish the wooden bridge (sorry, I don't remember how much I had left). This was such a hard level; sure could have used that cocoa tree!! P.S. Level 8 is proving about as difficult!! Good luck.