Hello I am planning to install this and play but got worried after I saw that some people were having difficulty launching the game. What should I look out for/do to get it to run smoothly (everyone seems to have done something different)? Also, can I play this without a joystick (i.e. using keyboard and mouse)?

Hi.
Depends on your OS. I use Win7 64, son all I had to do was play with administrator on and on WinME compatibility. Woks fine, no crashes or anything.
Yes it can be run with mouse and keyboard, I tried, it works but I gave up.
I bought the cheap but great Logitech Attack 3 joystick, totally different game now, rocks.
Enjoy!