Make sure your computer meets the minimum requirements, there are loads of people (whole forums have been set up about it) who have new, good quality new computers and can not get the game to work, don't assume you'll be ok because you've never had a problem before or your computer's new. The most common problem is that people's computer's graphics cards do not exceed Geforce3 specifications, meaning that you can't get past merely installing the game. Check this list:
NON-SUPPORTED VIDEO CHIPSETS:
Due to hardware limitations, the following chipsets do NOT support the functions the program requires. This is only a partial list. Please click here for information on the Intel 900 series of chipsets.
Radeon IGP 345/350 RS200M
Radeon Xpress 200/200M/200P
Radeon 9550
ATI Mobility Radeon 9600/9700
ATI Mobility Radeon 9550
ATI Mobility Radeon 9200
ATI Mobility Radeon 9000
ATI Mobility Radeon 7500
ATI Mobility Radeon X1300
ATI Mobility Radeon X300
ATI Mobility Radeon 1150
Intel 82845 Integrated Express or Extreme Graphics
Intel 82852 Integrated Express or Extreme Graphics
Intel 82855 Integrated Express or Extreme Graphics
Intel 82865 Integrated Express or Extreme Graphics
Intel 900 series information
Geforce 7500 LE
Geforce 6100/6150 LE
Geforce Go 6600
Geforce Go 6400
Geforce Go 6200
Geforce Go 6100/6150
Geforce2 MX
Geforce2 GTX
Geforce4 Ti 4200
Geforce4 MX 420/440/460
Geforce4 Go MX 420/440/460 (the game may work with the 440-460, but will have missing textures)
Geforce4 MX 4000 64MB (this card has pixel shader support, but a slow frame rate. it may or may not work based on system configurations)
(the Geforce 4 MX Series is NOT equivalent to a Geforce 3 chipset)
SiS 630/730
SiS 650/740
SiS 662/661/760
SiS M 650
SiS 530
SiS Xabre series
VIA S3 Deltachrome
VIA S3 Gammachrome
VIA S3 Unichrome series
VIA S3 G KM400
NOTE: Due to the nature of their design, onboard integrated chipsets used in laptops and certain desktops are not optimal for graphics intensive gaming. A dedicated video card remains the best option.
SUPPORTED VIDEO CHIPSETS:
Below is a partial list of recommended Geforce3 or equivalent video cards. These cards are recommended, dedicated video cards that support the necessary hardware functions for the game to run. A card not listed indicates it has not been tested.
Exceed Geforce3 specifications:
ATI Graphics Cards
Radeon X1900
Radeon X1600
Radeon X800XT-PE
Radeon X800XT
Radeon X800 Pro
Radeon X800SE
Radeon X700
Radeon 9800XT
Radeon 9800Pro
Radeon 9700Pro
Radeon 9600XT
Radeon 9500
Radeon 9100 (same chip as 8500)
Radeon 9000
Radeon 8500 (retail)
Radeon 8500LE (sometimes listed as 8500 OEM)
nVidia Graphics Cards
Geforce 7950 GT/GX2
Geforce 7800 GTX
Geforce 7500 GS
Geforce 7300 GS
Geforce 6800 Ultra
Geforce 6800 GT
Geforce 6800 (non-ultra)
Geforce 6600
Geforce 5950 Ultra
Geforce 5950
Geforce 5900SE
Geforce 5900
Geforce FX 5600XT
Geforce 5600
Geforce4 Ti4400
Geforce4 Ti4600
Geforce4 Ti4800 (ti4200 with AGP8X)
Geforce Go 7950
Geforce Go 7900
Meet Geforce3 specifications but have issues running the game*:
ATI and nVidia Graphics Cards
Radeon 7500 64MB
Radeon 7200 64MB
Radeon 9250 128
Radeon X1300
VisionTek Radeon X1550
Geforce FX 5200 128MB
Geforce FX 5500 & 5700 LE
Geforce 7500 LE
Geforce 6100/6150 LE
Quadro FX500
XGI Volari XP5
Check you're compatible: Click Start - Run - in open field, type DXDIAG. From the tabs across the top - choose DISPLAY and look next to "Name" to see what your graphics card is.
Even if it does seem to be compatib