CD-i kids titles are often not categorized as CD-i games, while they still are. Let's look at a few unknown CD-i games, focused towards children

A while back we talked about "Die CD-i mit der Maus", a German-exclusive CD-i made by SPC Vision focused at children. In fact, many CD-i children titles are not even categorized as a CD-i game, while in principle they really are. Whether it may be coloring puzzles, ordening tiles, answering simple questions in a quiz, even when they are focused towards a younger audience, we still enjoy them as a game :) - And when they make clever use of the Digital Video Cartridge, some of them are technically interesting CD-i's as well. Let's have a look at a few rare CD-i's, CD-i kids titles, some of which you might have not seen before:



1. L’ Abero Azzurro (VideoRAI, 1994, Italian exclusive CD-i)

Welcome to the blue tree: In his world of games, rhymes, stories, music and skills. Dodò, Claudio and Francesca, knowing that maybe you were coming, they have already prepared everything and are waiting for you. Do you want to play with them? So … come on! Things to see:

• The original television images of the transmission are the basis of the game: The Aldero, the garden, the pond, the table, the house …
• You will be able to turn around, browse around and even touch everything!

Places to go:

• Many movies in digital video, with Dodò, Francesca, Claudio, with games and manual skills, nursery rhymes and stories, English and science.
• With the CD-i you can make the Blue Tree you want!

Games:

• Many interactive games: the Workshop of the Carpenter, the Mason, the Painter, the Photos with Mustaches, the Stories in Disorder, the Fairy Tale Labyrinth, the Filastrocche Pazze, the Farm, the Room of Music, the Teddy Bear disappeared, the Tree Azzuro inglese, the Day of Dodò, the Album of the slides, and if you’re not already tired … many others. 

The surprises:

• Many small surprise events, to keep you company: a calendar that always interrupts, a storm that bursts and wets the glass, a crowd of hands of Dodò that come out of a jar just to disturb … Enough, enough!

In short, the Azzuro Tree CD-i, where you look, where you touch and where you do !!

2. Muzzy (Vektor Limited & BBC English, 1994, USA exclusive CD-i)

3. Naftaline Chez Elle (CSM Productions, 1996, French exclusive CD-i)


This disc features cartoon adventures of Naftaline, popular in France, including simple games about reading, searching images, games to learn more about numbers and letters, and so on. This disc is also playable on a sole Video CD player, which is remarkable. In that case, purely the videos are shown. I suspect the other portion is base-case only and doesn't benefit from the extra memory (at least it doesn't show)

4. Thumbelina (Invicom & Spice, 1995, multi-regional release)



Thumbelina – A classic fairy tale comes to life. Children can play and interact with all their favourite characters from the blockbuster film in this magical interpretation of Hans Christian Andersen’s timeless adventures of a girl no bigger than a thumb.- Listen to Jacquimo recount Thumbelina’s exciting adventure or choice to read the story by yourself.

• Sing along to the film’s original songs while the words appear on screen to help you.
• Colour your favourite characters and have the thrill of seeing your paintings come to life.
• Count the many animals and other memorable creatures that appear in the movie.
• Match the animals to their names and be rewarded with special animated sequences.
• Have fun solving the shapes puzzle and be congratulated by Jacquimo himself.

In fact two versions exist: This was also presented as a pure Video CD including the Don Bluth movie (It is titled Video CD at the bottom line), but with the same cover it was also presented an an interactive kids title on CD-i, which is actually a base-case CD-i disc.

Finally, two unknown CD-i kids titles that we, neither the Internet, do know a lot about. Do you have one of these and can you share some details about these discs?


5. Il Tesoro dell’Isola dei Giochi (Clementoni, 1994, French & Italian exclusive CD-i)