I have tested several gamepads and with these the D-Pad works perfectly, as I indicated in the instructions. I do not know why in your case it does not work. Eventually you could try with external programs that associate the gamepad keys to the keyboard keys, such as JoyToKey.
However, consider that the game can be completed in about 40 minutes, even less if you give up collecting the crystals (not necessary). I would agree with you if completing the game took hours.
After months of testing, we at LC-Games think that Mike 2 is a little easier than Mike 1. It's about practicing, finding the best strategies and, in most cases, finding the right timing to avoid the aliens. As with all things, however, you need consistency and the desire to dedicate time to the game to improve more and more. Playing a game every now and then certainly won't get you far.
For the first suggestion, I'll take it into consideration.
For the second, on the thermostat there is a thermometer that indicates the temperature of the room. The higher the thermometer is, the longer it will take before the fireplace turns on, so if you operate the thermostat when the temperature is low, the fireplace will turn on very soon.
