You can get an optical drive emulator for the Dreamcast which allows you to play ROMs from flash media. Though there is some cost associated, might be more than you're looking to pay.
Yup. As I recall it was kind of a school-wide effort, with kids relaying solutions of various puzzles to each other until we had enough to complete the game. I do recall working out the Babelfish puzzle on my own, though I also neglected to feed the dog at the beginning of the game soft-locking myself on at least one playthrough.