1- make sure you are in compatibilty mode - windows 98
2- launch in administrator mode
3- open your task manager and find HIKE.exe
4- right click HIKE.exe and select GO TO DETAILS
5- when you are in details select ANALYZE WAIT CHAIN
6- under hike exe you will see one or more items under HIKE.exe
7- uncheck everything under HIKE.exe and hit ok... you may have to do this 2 or 3 times
8- after a short wait the game shouild launch