One of the best benefits of having kids is getting to be a kid yourself and Megazone is a great…read moreplace to do just that. I never understand when parents don't partake in childish activities - we even had a boys' birthday party here where a dad went INSIDE the warzone to just stand and watch. If you have no idea what all this is about, laserstrike is the preferred birthday party choice of boys (and some girls) aged 7 to 12 and probably older - we're not there yet. You rally your troops, divide them into two teams, tool up and go to war. There's an instruction video and staff on hand to help you get into your harness-thing. The harness-thing has light targets for your enemy to see and of course your laser gun. You then go run around in the dark shooting each other and the team with the most points wins. Most excellent entertainment - especially getting those kids that are, let's say, not your favourites. So ring up, book your group and they'll give you a room where you can do the food and cake thing along with two 20 minute game sessions. Get pizzas delivered and it's simple and fairly affordable as far as these things go. Just make sure you join in - it's bloody good exercise and wicked fun.

Yes, I am a big kid, and Timezone is for kids of all ages…read more Underneath Burger King on Queen street is this noisy, neon video arcade. It has the most popular games from Tekken to Dance Dance Revolution and, more importantly, a couple of pinball machines. A selection of the games pump out Timezone's classic coupons which can be exchanged for small prizes or sweets. There is even a pool table and, thankfully, air-conditioning (which any arcade player knows the importance of). You might have to yell out to get the staff's attention but they have weekly specials which will save you a little bit of money while you waste time. The downside is that you have to buy and use Powercards instead of using up petty coins in your wallet. But you can always sneak away downstairs for a few minutes while your more mature friends look for you in Burger King.

Awesome team @ the CBD branch A++ would recommend highly special salute to Oshyun, who was…read morehelpful as cheers

The last time I came to Manukau Tenpin was after a few drinks and a spur of the moment decision…read more It's my local bowling alley but I don't visit often as I did after Xtreme in Botany opened up. What I don't like about Manukau Tenpin is that the lanes are pretty narrow, it just really irks me. It takes a couple of tries for me before I get used to the lanes here. I suppose I've forgiven them for this since you can play two games for the price of one ($12 for an adult, which is an amazing price), so it's super handy if you're battling your friends for bowling supremacy. They cater pretty well for groups here and they've always got quite a few staff on, so you always get your food quickly and lane troubles are usually solved in a few short minutes. I'd suggest booking ahead on weekends, because you never know when its going to be packed here, so avoid disappointment. A good addition to the area and a great price to have some fun with friends and family.

This is a great attraction for someone with kids (maybe 8-12 age range?)…read more I went on my own as an adult, because it was rainy and it seemed like a fun adventure. It was! As long as you remember this is a family-friendly experience, and don't set the bar too high, you'll enjoy it. It starts with some lighted tunnels, a dark "jungle room," and another with a "haunted" theme. My favorite was the hall of mirrors. Such a cool effect! There's a balloon room and a walkway covered in pool noodles. It's light-hearted fun. It isn't the best way to spend $20 as an adult, but I don't have regrets. For kids, it's a great idea.

A super fun way to spend half an hour or so. Great for kids and adults. Feel your way through an…read moreodyssey of senses. Very cool visuals and illusions and a dark room forest. Not for the faint of heart or those who panic easily but it's a super fun activity. Spend your time in there and Don't rush it and you'll feel like you got your money's worth. Adults $19.50. Child $15,50. Family pass $60. Students $17.50. Second go only extra $5. In the same complex there is mini golf, arcades, a cool bowling alley that allows over 18s for drink (bonus) and I believe there is paintball and other activities too. A food court is in the building and aotea square is right outside. A vibrant party central complex for all ages.

Please don't judge me for this review. My significant other is mad on Warhammer (for those of you…read morenot in the know this is a sorta strategic war game using models as board pieces). I for one had never heard of it until we started dating but as they say there is a niche for everything, and Games Workshop caters for one of these. The store itself purveys wares related to games, collectibles and models with a special focus on Warhammer 40 K. The guys who work here at super knowledgeable, friendly and always trying to get you involved in store events (I prefer to be a silent supporter who is 'allowed' to help paint the models every once in a while) What's cool about this place is how it functions as a social club, there are tutorials and workshops held often and people are encouraged to meet up with their mates and challenge each other on the terrain which is available in-store. Perhaps my favourite thing about Games Workshop though is that it's right next door to some of my favourite shops on queen street, so it is more than easy to do the whole extraction mission without my partner even noticing I have gone.

Another example of the Imax complex trying to do too much and achieving too little. Having failed…read moreat being a great movie house and a great foodcourt, they've also had a go at being a great arcade. And like the previous examples, this is not the end result. A predictable range of games, in a haphazard layout. The same problem that the rest of the Imax building suffers - you cannot find your way around anywhere. How do I get into the arcade? Not sure. Now that I've stumbled into it, how do I find the Dance Dance Revolution machine? Don't know. I'm sick of this place, how do I leave? Good luck, buddy. It's just ... it's just not that fun. And really, that's all this place needs to be. It's an arcade; its one purpose is to be entertaining. It's a shame.

Time Out is a video arcade underneath the large Sky City Cinema and above the Foodcourt, so you…read moreknow it's going to be full of coke-slurping, gum-smacking teenagers. They tried to funky the place up years ago with an organic alien textured wall but it still just seems to be a place for Crane Machines and Car Racing games. They slapped a pool table between games so watch your posterior. The worst part are the slumped, grunting staff members who look like they have been held back a few years from graduating to Popcorn Dispenser. They usually loll behind a plexi-glass booth to protect them from frenzied Street Fighter players. (Although if they aren't there, don't bother waiting around for them. Just accept the machine ate your $2 and move along.) Also the whole place sits in some weird dimension between the main floors, so more often than not you will find yourself back out on Queen St before finding it. But that's okay because any decent pub should have a pool table or pinball machine any way. Go find one.

I don't really get Next Level, but that's OK because I don't really think, other than the fact I…read moremight be away from home and need to print a document, that I'm part of their demographic. Their website says they sell electronics and are a print shop, as well as being a venue for playing high speed cyber games. The latter is definitely true, as there are rows of massive grunty looking computers lined up beneath posters of World of Warcraft etc, in the dark on a Tuesday afternoon. Yep this is definitely an internet cafe for gamers. You can even buy memberships, like a gym, so that instead of running on a treadmill each day, you can come in and pit your warlords against somebody else's dragons. Or something like that.

A group of friends and I went here for a birthday. All 8 of us twenty-something year olds had a a…read moreblast. Marlene and Ruan Odendaal, went above and beyond for us and even gave us loads of tokens for their arcade games afterwards. I can't stress enough how hospitable they were! The lasertag was pretty hilarious; there was a kid's birthday party going on and it was us 'oldies' versus them HAHA. They did mix it up a bit after the first game though so that was cool. I didn't realize that they had teles outside, so people were watching us while we were in there #embarassing haha. We paid $17 each for 4 games and by the end of it a lot of us were really hot, tired but satisfied. Was SO worth the money! Will definitely come here again!

The ultimate kids birthday party experience, bar none. Every North Shore child had a birthday party…read morehere at some stage, and it never got old. Like seriously, still epic at the age of 21. It's laser tag set in a kinda trippy spaceship-styled maze with cool dry ice effects and strobes and stuff. It'd be cool on acid I imagine. Anyway you get a laser gun and a vest each and shoot eachother. Paintball without the pain really. Everything's wired up to a scoring system so you get a readout at the end, and I figured out how to win at the age of 10 - you just hide under a ramp and shoot everyone that runs past. But nobody does that - you aimlessly run around yelling - much more fun. Grown ups can watch on the video screens from outside and chuckle at how manic the kids get. Their website also says they do team building. Wouldn't mind working for a company that sends their employees to Laser Force!