Patent ID: 8453139

Claim:
A game apparatus comprising: a drive device into which a memory medium with game data including a boot file that initiates a main program is loaded; a storage device which retains a patch file for the game data, the patch file including a boot file that initiates the main program; a first version information acquisition unit which acquires first version information recorded in the memory medium via the drive device; a second version information acquisition unit which acquires second version information included in the patch file retained in the storage device; a comparator which compares the first version information acquired by the first version information acquisition unit with the second version information acquired by the second version information acquisition unit; and an execution processor which loads into a memory a boot file from either the memory medium or the patch file, which has newer version information and initiates a game startup process, wherein the execution processor does not initiate the game startup process when the memory medium is not loaded into the drive device, even if the patch file is retained in the storage device, and the execution processor initiates the game startup process on the condition that the memory medium is loaded into the drive device, and wherein, where an icon of the memory medium loaded into the drive device and an icon of the patch file retained in the storage device are displayed on a menu screen showing icons selectable by a user, the game startup process is not initiated when the icon of the patch file is selected, and selection of the icon of the memory medium initiates the game startup process.