How to Run Old Game- Agatha Christie's Hidden Object Mystery Game

Question

How to Run Old Game- Agatha Christie's Hidden Object Mystery Game

Hadi 5

Hello, I need some help with running an old computer game, Agatha Christie: Peril at End House. It used to be an app that was sold on the old Window Vista Microsoft Store. I recently got the DVD game off of Amazon and tried it out.

My game runs, but the backgrounds and hidden object scenes don’t show. Only the menu/UI is visible. Audio is just fine too.

I first tried the compatibility mode and running it as an administrator, no luck at all.

I also tried using DXWnd with different settings, but it didn’t fix it.

Does anyone know how to fix missing graphics like this on modern Windows? This childhood game is dear to my heart and I would love to replay it eventually. Thank you.

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Answer 1

Hi Hadi,

Thank you for reaching out.

Since the game opens and plays audio but the backgrounds and hidden-object scenes are missing, this looks more like a legacy graphics rendering issue than a basic install problem. Older titles can rely on DirectDraw/Direct3D behavior that may not display correctly on newer Windows builds or modern graphics drivers.

Here are a few additional steps that you can try:

1, Run the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter

Go to Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters > Program Compatibility Troubleshooter
Select the game’s.exe and let Windows test recommended settings automatically.
This can sometimes apply a better compatibility profile than manual mode alone.

2, Check DirectX graphics acceleration since older games may not render scenes properly if those features are unavailable.

Press Win + R, type dxdiag press Enter and open the Display tab.
Confirm that DirectDraw Acceleration and Direct3D Acceleration are available.

3, Refresh the display driver

In Device Manager > Display adapters, uninstall the graphics adapter, restart the PC, and let Windows reinstall the driver, or install the latest graphics driver from Windows Update / your PC manufacturer.
Microsoft recommends driver updates when older apps or games are not displaying correctly.

If only the menus/UI appear after the checks above, the game may depend on an older rendering method that newer systems do not fully handle. In that case, the most practical workaround may be to run it on an older Windows PC or in a virtual machine closer to the game’s original environment.

I understand this title has sentimental value, so I hope one of these steps helps you get it running again. Let me know if you need further assistance, feel free to ask me by clicking "Add Comment" or "Add Answer" if you cannot add comment so your response will be visible. Thanks for your effort.

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Hadi 5 Reputation points

2026-04-26T19:09:43.2333333+00:00

Thank you so much for replying and trying to help fix this problem.

Unfortunately, your steps didn't work for me. I went searching around and found something called dgVoodoo2 and that still didn't help me.

I also want to make it clear that I'm not proficient with computers and deep diving into things like this. I'm just super determined to make it work.

Do you have any other tips or tricks I could try? This game is just so stubborn. Thanks again!
Hendrix-V 18,515 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-04-28T06:57:24.19+00:00

Hi Hadi,

Thank you so much for the update, and I really appreciate you explaining your situation.

At this point, the behavior you’re seeing usually means the game relies on very old graphics technology that modern Windows systems and current video drivers don’t fully support anymore. That doesn’t mean you did anything wrong, and it’s not about your computer skills, some older games are simply very stubborn on newer systems.

If you have access to a PC running Windows 7 or earlier, that’s often the most reliable way to play games from this era.

Unfortunately, once a game reaches this level of incompatibility, there isn’t always a simple setting or checkbox that can make it work on modern systems. You’ve already tried the reasonable and recommended approaches.

Thank you again for your patience and persistence.