The invention provides an apparatus for reproducing a plurality of image data which has been recorded in a plurality of independent areas on a disk-shaped recording medium and specified so as to be reproduced in predetermined order, from the disk-shaped recording medium by using a pickup mechanism. The apparatus has a memory for storing the reproduced image data and a memory control unit for reading out the image data stored in the memory in the predetermined order, and controls whether the image data recorded in the plurality of areas is reproduced in order different from the predetermined order and written in the memory or not, on the basis of position information indicative of positions of the plurality of areas on the disk-shaped recording medium, a capacity of the memory, and a seeking time between the plurality of areas by the pickup mechanism.