It might be a case of having to install patch 1.4 before playing the game itself. 1.4 has thrown up a lot of random problems which are taking time to knuckle down.
It might be worth un-installing EaW, removing all old data/files then installing it again with 1.4 then trying out skirmish maps. Until an answer comes back from Petroglyph,its worth a try
DMUK
Thank you everyone!
This issue was resolved.
Please see my other Thread (
http://www.lucasforums.com/showthread.php?t=166983).