Download The Great Escape (Windows)

NoCD showed a lot of generic warnings on VirusTotal, it is safe to use. If you worry about safety, it is recommended to launch the game on Virtual Machine with old Windows (Win2000 or WinXP) for 100% safety.

The game with NoCD has been tested on Windows 7 64-bit and Windows 10, works fine. If you have troubles with running the game on modern systems - check our Notes

Install & play guide:

• Mount the disc image of CD1. You will need the utility for mounting disc image files, like WinCDEmu, UltraISO, Alcohol 52%/Alcohol 120% or Daemon Tools Lite
• Start the installation (if autorun doesn't work - simply launch the installation from Setup.exe inside the disc)
• It is recommended to install the game in path by default (i.e. C:/Program Files/SCi Games/The Great Escape)
• When the installation process will ask for CD2 - mount the disc image of CD2. CD2 must be mounted in same virtual drive as CD1, so first un-mount disc image of CD1 and then mount the disc image of CD2. In example, if CD1 was in virtual drive G:, CD2 must be mounted in virtual drive G: as well
• Also it is recommended to install DirectX 8 from the disc (if you're using Windows 10 - enable DirectPlay, read this or this guide how to do it)
• After you installed the game - install NoCD (simply copy GreatEscape.exe from the archive and replace the original exe-file inside the game folder)
• Open the directory with the game and find GreatEscape.exe. Right click on GreatEscape.exe - Properties - Compatibility - Set "Run this app in compatibility mode with Windows 98/Me, Windows 2000 or Windows XP" and "Run as administrator"
• Launch the game and play. If the game doesn't work - try to launch the game, then open Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Del by default) and check for processes GreatEscape.exe and rundll32.exe. Close GreatEscape.exe but don't touch rundll32.exe (it's a Windows app for running old apps from 32-bit operational systems, most old games running through rundll32.exe). Now try to launch the game again, it must work. Don't forget to close rundll32.exe process in Task Manager after finishing playing

Notes:

• If the installation doesn't start - try to launch Setup.exe in compatibility mode with old version of Windows (98, 2000 or XP)
• It is recommended to install old versions of Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for the correct work of the game
• Also it is recommended to install RAD Video Tools and K-Lite Codec Pack for the correct work of in-game videos
• The game works on DirectX 8, so if you're using Windows 8, 8.1, 10 or 11 - you need to enable DirectPlay: Go to Control Panel, and select 'Programs'. Select 'Turn Windows features on and off', click on 'Legacy Components' and check the box 'DirectPlay'. Select OK, once the installation is done, restart your computer
• If the game doesn't work in compatibility mode with Windows XP - try to run it in compatibility mode with older Windows versions (Windows 2000, Windows 98/Me, etc.). For some users the game didn't work in compatibility mode with Windows XP but worked with Windows 2000
• Also, if you see graphical glitches - right click GreatEscape.exe - Properties - Compatibility - Check "Disable fullscreen optimizations"
• By default the game works only in 4:3 screen resolution, but you can run it in widescreen by registry editing, read this guide how to do that
• If you have troubles with running the game on Windows 7 and newer OS - try to run it through dgVoodoo utility (copy the dll-files from the MS/x86 folder, dgVoodooCpl.exe and dgVoodoo.conf to the game folder, then launch the game from GreatEscape.exe; to change dgVoodoo settings - open dgVoodooCpl.exe). Please note that your graphics card must support DirectX 9
• As alternative - you can use d3d8to9 wrapper, it is simple dll-file that adapts DirectX 8 games to DirectX 9 renderer. Simply put d3d8.dll next to GreatEscape.exe; please note that your graphics card must support DirectX 9
• NoCD is required for the launch because the game is using SecuROM 4 DRM protection, which doesn't work correctly on modern systems. That NoCD "breaks" DRM protection and allows the game to work on modern systems
• Russian version of the game doesn't have DRM, only simple disc check. Rename Game.bin to GreatEscape.exe to play without the disc
• Don't forget to check PCGamingWiki page if you have troubles!