1. An apparatus for extending the functionality of a processor to that of an upgraded CPU, having an upgraded instruction set, including at least one new instruction, the apparatus comprising: the processor configured to process data structures comprising executable and operational data, the processor having a native instruction set corresponding thereto, included as a subset of the upgraded instruction set, and not including the at least one new instruction; and a memory device operably connected to the processor and configured to store the data structures, the data structures further comprising: a CPU extension module configured to enable the processor to process, rather than reject, the at least one new instruction, and the CPU extension module further configured to intervene upon detection of the new instruction, to selectively provide alternative instructions in terms of the native instruction set to render the processor indistinguishable from the upgraded CPU to software processed thereby.