A 16bit Windows game requires a 16/32bit operating system.

Now wether that game will work on the latest 32bit Windows operating system or under Wine in Linux I cannot say since I don't have that game.

What error do you receive when you try to install the game?
What error do you receive when you try to run the game?

If the installer is 16bit but the game is 32bit then it may be possible to run the game directly on Windows 7 64bit.
If the game is 16bit then you will have to use emulation.

Options:
Virtual PC/Vmware/VirtualBox/Parallels/DOSBox

Using any of the above emulators you can install any Windows operating system (in this case a 16 or 32bit one) and as long as the game doesn't require a Direct3D version lower than 8 then the game should run fine. I listed DOSBox but it is not recommended for running Windows 95 or above as a guest operating system. (Although unlike other emulators unofficial builds of DOSBox can run earlier versions of Direct3D)

You can also install Linux in any of the above emulators (excluding DOSBox) and try using Wine to run the game.

EDIT Ah, didn't notice the Windows 3.1 in your post. If the game does support Windows 3.1 then it does not require Direct3D so the game will likely work fine in any emulator as long as the guest Windows OS is 16/32bit. Windows 3.1 probably will not be easy for you to use as compared to Windows 7 so I'd try Windows 7 32bit and then Windows XP 32bit first.

If you follow the windows 3.x guide for dosbox, 16bit windows games run fine in dosbox. And there is even support here (though you will have to survive the first few nay sayers 😉)

Thanks for the help! Are any of those emulators more user friendly than the others?

Dominus, did you mean 3.1x like what is in your signature or 3.x?

I will test things out today and report on my success... Or lack thereof!

Yeah, meant 3.1x as linked to in my sig 😉
You will need a legal copy of Windows 3.1x for this though

ConnectionsFan wrote:

I tried running windows 95 emulator, but it wouldn't run software- side note: what's the point of having windows 95 if you can't run software with it? Are people just that crazy for the snake game? Side note two: was it Windows 95 that snake game was even on?

What exactly are you referring to? It sounds like some crappy Flash simulator.

Depending on your Windows 7 version (for eg. - Professional or Ultimate), you can try downloading Windows XP Mode from Microsoft and try running it from there. Not sure if it'll work, though.

See here for more information.

Running it using Windows 3.1 in Dosbox should be easier, if you have Windows 3.1.

I think this is the program that she wants to run:
http://www.mobygames.com/game/connections/techinfo

The Technical Specs list a distinct Windows 95 version (which supports a higher resolution than the Windows 3.1 version), so could the installer be 16-bit, but the program itself be 32-bit when running on Windows 95? If so, it may be possible to track the installer's changes while installing it on an old computer and then manually copy the installed 32-bit program to the Windows 7 (64-bit) computer.

It would be easier to try one of the solutions at http://www.reactos.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10988 first.