VARIABLE CONTENT VIDEO PROGRAM

A system for, and a method of, playing a variable content video contained in a memory device, such as an optical disk, the memory device further providing user interface routines and control codes; the video having a non-sequential logical arrangement of parallel, transitional, and overlapping segments, and content information defining and linking segments of the video responsive to at least one content category, such as a rating; the segments including (1) at least one segment unique to one of at least two versions of the same variable content video, (2) at least one segment unique to the other of said at least two versions of the same variable content video, and (3) at least one segment common to said at least two versions of the same variable content video; the segment definitions each having a descriptor responsive to the at least one content category; and the content information providing, responsive to a viewer's preference with respect to the at least one content category, and by means of random access and buffering means for the seamless skipping of segments, for the playing of a version of the video different in length than the length of the video.