I had the same issue whenever I played any game created on RPGmaker XP or VX (don't be afraid of these engine names,they are the ones that created these wonderful games),but the following helped me fix it.Sometimes it is caused because the memory assigned to the video card is not enough for gaming purposes or some times it's because of the processor (RMVX games like Lilly and Sasha,Dawn's Light,etc requires at least 1Ghz processors to play without any performance issue).However most of the times,even these configurations don't work to cure this issue.
Quoting Paralel from the amaranthia forum-
This problem is basically due to an incompatibility between the drivers/graphics hardware in your system and the DirectDraw Acceleration features the game is trying to use. Updating your graphics driver, as recommended above, is probably the best place to start.
So the fixes are (I'm sure at least anyone of them will fix the issue,so have listed all possible solutions)-
1)Update the video/graphics driver of your PC or laptop(whichever you are using): 80% chances are there that this will resolve it.If you are not a techy,let me guide you step by step-
a)First check the version of your display driver.To do that,right click on 'My Computer' and select 'manage'.Then from the left hand column,select 'Device Manager'.When the devices screen load,expand the 'display adaptor' tree.Right click on the graphics driver installed (e.g. Nvidia Geforce,ATI Radeon,etc,etc) and select 'properties'.Then click on the 'driver tab'.There you will see the version number (e.g. 7.15.10.9888 like in my system,yours will be different).
b)Look for the service tag of your desktop or laptop.For PCs,the best probable location to find them is behind the CPU box.For laptops,it is located at the backside towards one bottom corner.Note the exact model number of your system and visit the official website of the brand you are using (e.g. HP,lenovo,Sony,Dell,Acer,etc etc).
c)Then go to their support or driver download section and search drivers for your model.Once the entire list of drivers is found,look for the latest version of the display or graphic driver.If the version numbers are greater than the numbers you saw in your system,then it is an updated version.Download the latest version of the driver and install it like you would install any other program.Reboot your computer/laptop and play the game.
2)Get the latest version of DirectX:Some times upgrading the directX works fine.Download the latest version of it from here http://www.microsoft.com/games/en-US/ab ... rectx.aspx and install it.
3)Disable DirectX acceleration:
a) For windows 98,XP: Quoting Paralel-
Click the Start button on the taskbar, click RUN, type DXDIAG and hit enter. A box might pop up that asks for a yes or no answer, hit YES.
Once the program loads you should be looking at a box that has the title "DirectX Diagnostic Tool". Click the DISPLAY tab (it should be the 3rd tab over from the left).
Slightly past the middle of the box, to the left, there should be a button that has text to the left of it which reads "DirectDraw Acceleration". The text on that button should read "Enabled". Click that button. All three buttons that are present should now read "Disabled" and the bottom two should be grayed out (they cannot be clicked).
Now click the EXIT button in the lower right hand corner of the box.
b)For Vista/Windows 7:
i. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Appearance and Personalization, click Personalization, click Display Settings, and then click Advanced Settings.
ii. Click the Troubleshoot tab, and then click Change Settings.
If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password, or provide confirmation.
iii. Move the Hardware Acceleration slider to the left. The Hardware Acceleration setting should not be reduced to less than three notches from the right. The Hardware Acceleration setting should be set to the following:
Disable all DirectDraw and Direct3D accelerations, as well as all cursor and advanced drawing accelerations.
If you reduce the Hardware Acceleration setting, you may experience more issues with video rendering.
iv. Click OK three times, and then close the window.
4) Manually disable graphics acceleration:If DirectX acceleration option is not available or can't be changed,you can manually disable the hardware acceleration of your system.
a)For XP: go to your desktop > right click > properties > settings > advanced > troubleshoot then simply turn the graphics acceleration to a lower amount (try each and run a game in full screen to see which one works best for you).
b)For vista:Right click on the Desktop and select personalize.Then click on display settings.Go to the driver control page to locate the troubleshooting tab.There change the settings and see which one works best.
5)Game property change:Last but not the least,while playing the game,press F1.Select the check box beside 'Reduce Screen Flickering' and click on OK.
Sorry for making this post long,but the details were necessary to avoid screwing up things for those trying it for the first time
.I hope at least any one of the above points will resolve the issue. 
