Problem w/MS Carioca Rummy

Installed on XPHome SP2 fully updated system. Running DirectX 9 updated to Ap
2006. Have NVidia TNT Pro64 graphics card.
Rummy animation speed like a snail. Game runs in jerky fashion, very clumsy.
Have tried turning down animatin speed under options to no effect. Still same.
Additionally, game only allows drag and drop of card groups, and seems at
times to fail to recognize items in contracts. Had one message after several
hours that game had to close because unable to read memory.
Really like the game, but not much of a reward at this point. Do I have a
system problem, or is it the game program. Help, and thank you --
qquirks