hi, i downloaded the game through dell, but now the cd key does not work. i played it through to the end, but the cd key is now invalid for some reason. all the other downloaded games work though. any help? thanks

sry for the double post, but here is more clarification

I used the CD key once, and it worked beautifully, and I beat the game. but i went back to play it differently and now I get the message "error:unknown" and it shuts down. why? is the cd key a one time thing?

I don't find it for free on Dell Games...
Could you post a link where you got it from?

the game wasn't free, I bought it, and downloaded it through the direct2drive service that they use

Oh, Direct2Drive. Well you bought it so that's a lifetime license. Maybe something corrupted in Direct2drive software, if there is any (i dunno, i buy all my games as phyisical versions aka DVD). Then you should contact them.
Anyway, if you have Steam, you can use your serial number to register in it ("Activate a game on Steam") and then you can download it from them and play it in Steam. You already payed, so it is completely free to activate it in Steam.
And if you don't have Steam but want it you can download it for free, or find it in your game files, because the game you bought is a license for the multiplayer as well, and that can only be played through Steam anyway.

yeah, i tried activating through Steam, but all the CD keys i use for it are invalid. i tried the key from Dell, the request key that comes up with the activation dialogue, but neither work.

Hm. Maybe you misspelled? Mistook a letter "O" for a zero "0", or forgot the hyphens? "-" ?

copied and pasted from what I was given. no spelling errors, trust me, that was the first thing i looked for

Better contact Direct2Drive then, they are the company you bought it from, you are entitled to their support.

alright, thanks for the help though

thanks BlindNero, contacted D2d and im getting a new key.