Hey
I had the same problem aswell. In the Rome:Total War game menu, go to Options > Video Settings. Then make sure the "Show Advanced Options" box is checked and a series of extra option boxes will appear. Under "Anti-Aliasing" make sure "No Anti-Aliasing" is selected (i.e turned off). Uncheck or check widescreen (depending on your monitor of course and then the game should appear properly in 1024 x 768. I believe there is a problem playing this game with GeForce FX 5200 because I have had the same problem with this graphics card. I hope this helps you.
Rajiv
