To play it today, you can use the CD-i Emulator (by CDi-fan) or modern cores in RetroArch . Note that you will often need a system ROM (BIOS) to get these running. Why It Matters Today
The Hidden Gem of the CD-i: The Apprentice When people talk about the , they usually reach for the low-hanging fruit: those infamous, meme-worthy Zelda titles or the system's identity crisis as a "multimedia player" rather than a gaming console. However, tucked away in its library is a legitimate masterpiece of 16-bit era design: The Apprentice . What is The Apprentice ? Released in 1994 by SPC Vision , The Apprentice
features fluid animation, vibrant backgrounds, and a level of polish that made it feel like a high-end Super Nintendo or Genesis title. The Infamous "Secret" Modes
is a vertical-scrolling platformer that actually proved the CD-i could handle traditional gaming. You play as , a wizard’s apprentice tasked with cleaning up the mess of the great wizard Gandorf S. Wandburner III. Unlike many clunky CD-i titles, The Apprentice
The Apprentice remains a "positive note on the CD-i spectrum," a rare example of a game that doesn't just rely on FMV (Full Motion Video) gimmicks but offers solid, addictive gameplay. For anyone looking to explore the CD-i without the frustration of its "trash" tier titles, this is the first stop on the journey. The Apprentice Review for CD-i (1994) - Defunct Games
The game gained a second life in the retro-gaming community thanks to hidden cheat codes. Long after the system's demise, developers revealed secrets that Philips censors would never have approved, including:
The game’s ISO has been preserved by communities like the Internet Archive as part of the TOSEC-ISO collection.
: Parodying Mortal Kombat ’s "Fatalities," these cheat-activated game-over screens featured suggestive themes that somehow slipped through the ELSPA "suitable for all ages" rating. Finding and Playing the ISO
