Posted your problem to another board - not many responses as yet, but so far I have :
This may sound cynical, but, have you tried the
key? That has happened to me a few times, but when I press the game returns to normal...
Just a suggestion...keep us posted, will you? I'd like to hear the answer....
AND
I have two suggestions. First, make sure that the patch is installed correctly. Sometimes all the files don't get overwritten correctly. If that doesn't work, try to reinstall. Perhaps there is a corrupt file somewhere. If that doesn't help, then drop a note to bugs@sir-tech.com and describe the problem to them. They will need complete system info, including sound and video driver version information It helps them answer your question more efficiently
I checked through the Sirtech tech help forum but drew a blank as well. Sorry the news isn't any better, but the search goes on. Keep smiling 
.