The desktop resizes for a moment and then I'm dumped out before the game can even start.

AMD Processor & GPU, if that matters. Definitely powerful enough and more than enough RAM.

The moddb have a post about this (not from official source tho)

" nazethnecrotyr Apr 10 2022

Looks like there is major issue to even run na game for users with new AMD GPU from RX 5*** series. After start game reduce display resolution, show black screen and turn off after a moment.
"

believe me, I have a Sapphire Radeon RX 5600 XT with the newest adrenalin drivers and have this issue also

tried every possible instance (even on virtual machines windows 8.1 and XP without a solution)

I changed in properites, compatibility to lounch with windows xp (service pack 3) and started game and it worked once.
New attempte requaiered mark icon on pulpit and press anter like a monkey until it lounch, eventualy it starts.

Wow, I literally just installed this via Galaxy for the first time and was dismayed when it crashed twice, and I even tried using the expansion.

Just a shame that it has not been update for modern systems.