IWar2-EoC after intro no menu

pls help, i have no idea how to get it working:
after installation the game starts normally, but after the intro there is just the spinning kid's head but no menu
the menu itself is blinking rarely but too fast, so its there but there is some graphics issue.
i tried to run on win98 mode, didnt help,
i tried to run on directx8 mode, didnt help too...

my system:
win 7 home prem 32bit
athlon x2 Q-62 dualcore 2GHz
Nvidia 9100M G + 9600M GS (Hybrid SLI)
4GB RAM

Activate vertical sync in the Gfx card driver profile section. you should see the game with its own profile already, if not, simply point to the exe in there to add a profile, and use your best judgement on which options to pick . Pick the opposite for vertical sync (enable if disabled or application select, and disable if enabled). You can crank up most if not all options due to the age of the game