Windows 7 Age of kings / conquerors network issue

[mangadin]

BUILD 7100
32 BIT
MOTHERBOARD - GA-MA770-UD3
AMD PHENOM 8750
VIDEO - GEFORCE 9600 GSO 512
LINKSYS WRT54GS2

Windows 7 install went fine and the program seems to run very well. However, I like to play a specific game online and through my LAN (Age of Kings - Conquerors Expansion). It's a Microsoft / Ensemble Studios game and while the game itself works fine over the internet, I can't get it to work through my LAN and play against someone on another computer hooked up to my router. The same game worked fine when both computers were running XP, but now that both are running WIN 7 they cannot "see each other". It's as if there's a firewall running (even though I've turned off both the Windows firewall and the Kapersky firewall). Am I missing something in Windows 7 that needs to be turned off? Or are the TCP / IP settings compatible? Anyone with some knowledge that can help would be greatly appreciated. I'm no computer expert but I can hold my own. Also, on both machines, I have run the compatibility wizard and both are set to WIN XP sp2. When the game runs, on both machines the graphics once in the game are a little "off" (aren't quite correct).

 

[Highwayman]

I would look first to setting up the "Advanced Firewall" as theres rules for In & out to consider that are often overlooked, failing that if you cannot be bothered try Hamachi, the free VPN app for gamers which usually routes LAN mode fine between OS's that don't normally like each other (Xp - Vista/Win7).