2008 version fixed the problem
I installed the 2005 version of the runtime and got past the "faulty configuration" error, but then got a runtime error halfway through the initialization screens. On a hunch, I installed the 2008 version of the runtime, and I was able to run the game with no problem (except the crash on exit). Same situation as some later posters--Rome Gold from CD purchased at Walmart, installed on a system with XP.
Oddly, I installed the game from the same CD earlier on another computer, also XP, and had no troubles. However, performance with the 2008 runtime seems significantly better.
I installed the 2005 version of the runtime and got past the "faulty configuration" error, but then got a runtime error halfway through the initialization screens. On a hunch, I installed the 2008 version of the runtime, and I was able to run the game with no problem (except the crash on exit). Same situation as some later posters--Rome Gold from CD purchased at Walmart, installed on a system with XP.
Oddly, I installed the game from the same CD earlier on another computer, also XP, and had no troubles. However, performance with the 2008 runtime seems significantly better.