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More CD-i videos!? You bet! I know what some people might be thinking... "CD-i sucks, so why are you wasting time uploading videos for it?" Well, besides continuing our exhaustive tests with the XRGB-Mini, we've seen surprisingly good results in the past with titles like "Zelda's Adventure" and "Hotel Mario" and there are actually a few "decent games" on the system. While we don't own too many games for the CD-i, we sporadically pick some up to upload to YouTube for documentation and out of sheer curiosity.

That being said, this "game" (or "Interactive Magic Kit") will appeal to a very specific demographic, but was surprisingly ambitious and executed fairly well given the time of release and hardware. Max Magic was produced by PF. Magic in 1994 and Max Maven "himself" was designed by a group called "Animation & Effects", as he is an android. This title, in simple terms, will teach the player a few magic tricks and slight-of-hand techniques to amaze your friends or start conversations at gatherings. With the ability to practice and rehearse, read in-game instructions, and get step-by-step guidance from Max, you can draw a crowd in your living room and have a good laugh.

It doesn't end there though. Max can perform the tricks for you on T.V., show you all the hints and secrets to pulling off the tricks successfully, give you a name or nickname, remember integral information you provide him necessary for staging a trick or performance, and more. What's more interesting than all of that however is just how much personality Max has; besides having different personas to play different in-game characters, Max has many different things to say to you depending on the day and internal clock of the CD-i. This can make for a very amusing spectacle if done right because it's like the two of you are really interacting, especially if you're performing tricks for your friends. Max is more cooperative in the morning than at night, but fooling around at different times of day is half the fun.

Visually, Max Magic is sub-par, though Max has a wide range of expressions and this title gets the job done considering its intended purpose. As for the sound department, the game is complete with cheesy ditties and Max's sarcasm and abstract humor will get some laughs here and there as he tries to take on a variety of roles. While Max Magic doesn't serve much of a purpose in today's society, I can see what they tried to accomplish and I'm surprised this kind of effort was put into a CD-i title. Some of the tricks were inspired by actual greats such as Stewart James, Charles Jordan, Mel Stover, Martin Gardner, and many others. Interestingly, PF. Magic has since been acquired by Ubisoft, showing that humble beginnings aren't a bad thing. I could still see myself playing this game late at night with a bunch of my adult friends and reminiscing about how weird the 90s were, lol.

This is a video of a few things in the game. Enjoy.