I guess they were just assuming the same features which their console CPUs supported and didn't even bother detecting CPU features when starting the executable. That would certainly be possible, without much effort. Crashing the game certainly is the worst possible thing to do. Possibly, but the effort doing that might be fairly large.

Either way, I'd say the OP should get his refund since the given system specs are a joke (way too vague) and based on those you can't know for certain if your system is supported or not. As others have said, there are AMD CPUs without SSE4.1 that are faster than an arbitrary "Core i3", e.g. a Phenom II X6. Also, since it is still rather uncommon to require SSE4.1, they should have explicitly mentioned that, instead of simply mentioning a supported AMD CPU as well. People usually assume that if the CPUs mentioned in the game's hardware requirements are slower than the CPU in their computer, then the game should run fine, which is a reasonable assumption.

The thing is, in this case, depending on your hardware it is not obvious that the PC does not meet the requirements, based on the very basic requirements mentioned on the game's GOG store page.

Edit: I've just seen the Support thread on the Steam forums where even the developers get the requirements wrong. They are talking about SSE 4, which isn't even a thing. That could lead users to assume their AMD CPUs are supported, because those CPUs usually support SSE4a (which isn't compatible to Intel's SSE 4.1 and 4.2). I don't think the publisher should assume that the average gamer has to know about such details.

Interestingly, in another thread over there they acknowledge those issues and say they are working on a fix. They don't say when they'll release that fix though.

Ooh, nice. Well, saddening to an extent, but what's nice to see is that GOG indeed does follow European law to the letter - which also means they should refund purchases of the game which don't work in the same spirit.

Still not true. There was talking about it on GoGreddit recently and there's pretty good explenation: https://www.reddit.com/r/gog/comments/4u7pds/does_gog_breach_european_union_laws/

However - if you think that you're able to return digital products (or even non digital ones, like box with CDkey but unwrapped) - then I suggest you to let UK authorities know that amazon.uk is also breaking law. :)

I'd warn you not to spend too much time in the gutter but I suspect it'd be rather pointless.

Is it tinyE who has brought the gutter here to GOG, or is it you, Kleetus?

Years ago when Skyrim was new and all the rage, I thought about it and considered getting it, in a year or two when I had a computer that could handle it. It was gifted to me by my wife. I tried it and naturally found out it didn't run on my computer (well it ran... at like 8fps). But I wouldn't demand a refund, I'd just hold onto it until I had a machine that could run it.

When I did have a machine that could run it, I sorta got fed up with the requirement of steam to even run it. But just because you can't run it now doesn't mean you can't run it later.

I didn't say that from a hardware POV. I was talking about buying such an overhyped overmarketed game on day 1.

Ahhh... Well in that case there is no reason, unless you just can't wait. I'm willing to wait for a game to come down in price before I purchase it.

Even if it takes years... (and usually at the lower price it's worth that amount, but certainly not worth more)

We both know that the only thing you have is a posting history that would shame a mongoloid idiot.

One last thing. Tom Cruise and John Travolta said they're not sharing the closet with you anymore 'cause your breath smells like jenkem.

C'ya.

Mongoloid was one of my favourite songs by Devo.

Mongoloid, he was a Mongoloid.

Do you like apples?