This is what solved my problem - installing the AGP drivers for my
operating system (Win98 SE) - thanks to Greger Huttu for that pearl of
wisdom. I'd rebuilt my PC, formatted and reinstalled everything but
didn't realise I'd have to install specific AGP drivers for my
motherboard. I was getting stutters and the occasional pause but now
I'm smooth and trouble free, with much better performance to boot.
Appologies if this is old news and/or common knowledge.
Cheers,
Mark
Reading, UK