This method uses an free emulator, but works very well (at least on my PC).
1) First download this little app:
http://files.filefront.com/D3DWindower+Englishrar/;7453735;/fileinfo.html
2) Unzip the downloaded file. There is no installer for the program. So put the unzipped files in a folder where you want the app to live (eg, C:\Program Files\Emulator)
3) Run D3DWindower-English.exe
4) In the app, click the blue plus sign to add a game. Select the Geneforge .exe file
5) You can add several games (ie, each in the series) and later choose which one to play
6) Press the blue "play" button (blue triangle) to activate the emulator
7) Right click on your chosen game. You will see three options: O, R, and F.
O = Emulation options (I haven't touched these)
R = Play Game
F = Open game folder in Explorer
8) Choose "R" to play the game. Voilà!
NOTE: Sometimes there an offset between the XP cursor and the mouse cursor. You only get this if you leave the game to do something else (eg, browse the web). Just use the corners of the game screen to help realign the XP mouse to the game mouse. It's not a deal breaker, but you'll see what I mean.
NOTE: There is a file that comes with the emulator called "D3dHook.dll". You may need to put a copy of this file in your game folder. I didn't need to, but some games may require it.
DISCLAIMER: I've only tested this with G1 and G4 on Windows XP. I don't know if it works with other Spiderweb games or under Vista.
Have fun!
