It’s all in the game for new amusement arcade
From Pac-Man to Guitar Hero – all the classic favourites in one place
NEON Pac-Man signs light the way into Newbury’s newest entertainment venue – High Score.
A family-friendly amusement arcade on Cheap Street, High Score is packed with more than 60 arcade games – ranging from modern favourites like Guitar Hero, air hockey and motorbike racing to old-school classics like Space Invaders and pinball.
One wall is dedicated to a huge screen for Street Fighter, while the venue also boasts the world’s largest version of PacMan.
High Score – which opened on Friday – is under-18 friendly with no drinking or gambling.
Customers book a one-hour session online and all machines will then be free to play, while the facility can also be hired out exclusively for events, such as for birthday parties.
There are also online leaderboards for some games like pinball and basketball, enticing regulars back to compete to get the highest scores.
The venture – located in the former Prohibition bar unit – has been launched by Corporate Amusement Services (CAS), which usually provides arcade
games for hire, but has branched out due to a drop in demand during the pandemic.
CAS director Aaron Gilbey said he was excited to bring something new to Newbury.
He said: “For our staff, as a business, this has been a really uplifting and rewarding project for us to be involved in.
“And it’s something exciting and positive to lift the doom and gloom of this year.
“We think it’ll be fantastic for Newbury. Newbury needs something and we think we’ve got it.
“For the Christmas period, families will be thinking we can go out as a family unit and do
something fun.
“You can experiment and explore games that perhaps you wouldn’t normally have played.
“Whether you’re seven or 70, male or female, a gamer or nongamer, we’ve got something for you and so you can say ‘I enjoyed my time in there’.”
Safety protocols have been put in place to protect against coronavirus, with all the machines cleaned between sessions and visitors asked to sanitise their hands when they enter.
Mr Gilbey continued: “I think people are still quite nervous with Covid and whether we’re the right environment, and part
of our talk before sessions will be asking people to stay in your bubbles inside and respect social distancing.”
An hour-long session is £9.95, with a 25 per cent discount for a family of four. Children under five go free, while under 12s will require an adult. Only adults can make bookings.
Fellow director Micky Brown added: “It’s exciting. We’ve done a lot of focus groups already and followed those up with questionnaires and the feedback has been 100 per cent.
“We’re all really pleased about creating some jobs and bringing something new to the town.”