Help with Kinterbasdb SQL Error -206 Column unknown

[R Baumann]

I'm a newbie with Python, and trying to connect to the Interbase/Firebird
'EMPLOYEE.GDB' file to play with it.

Can anyone help with this?
I'm running Firebird 1.5rc4
Python 2.3.2
kinterbasdb 3.1_pre6-win32-FB1.5-py2.3.exe
winXP Pro SP1

I run the same code at home and it works fine.  The only difference is, at
home I'm running Interbase 5.5.

Code follows. . .

Python 2.3.2 (#49, Oct 2 2003, 20:02:00) [MSC v.1200 32 bit (Intel)] on
win32
Type "copyright", "credits" or "license()" for more information.

****************************************************************
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makes to its subprocess using this computer's internal loopback
interface. This connection is not visible on any external
interface and no data is sent to or received from the Internet.
****************************************************************

IDLE 1.0
>>> import kinterbasdb
>>> con = kinterbasdb.connect(
                        host='localhost',
                       database='c:/Data/FireBirdIB/employee.gdb',
                       user='SYSDBA',
                       password='masterkey',
                      dialect=3
                       )
>>> cur = con.cursor()
>>> cur.execute("SELECT * FROM EMPLOYEE;")

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<pyshell#10>", line 1, in -toplevel-
cur.execute("SELECT * FROM EMPLOYEE;")
File "C:\Python23\Lib\site-packages\kinterbasdb\__init__.py", line 1444, in
execute
self.description = _k.execute(self._C_cursor, sql, params)
OperationalError: (-206, 'Unable to determine field precison from system
tables: Dynamic SQL Error. SQL error code = -206. Column unknown.
FIELD_SPEC.RDB$FIELD_PRECISION. At line 1, column 19.. ')
>>>

Thanks for any help
Ruben