Arcade Club

Arcade Club is in an old mill building in Bury suburbs. To get there requires GPS—or is that part of the experience? See the access photo. The ground floor is for entrance and bag checks, then two floors of arcade machines. Efforts have been made to tidy the mill—Arcade Club comes on like a small nightclub—but some will be unimpressed. What’s up there? No legends like Space Invaders, Breakout or Defender, but arcade games from East and West; dance, racing, DJ and zombie‐shoot games. And other electric games—air hockey, a row of pinball machines, ball‐shoot—which means older children can go with parents. And an area for online gaming. Noisy as an airport runway—you may need earplugs. Two little bars for drinks, crisps and sweets. The toilets are large and clean. Consider what someone said to me—Arcade Club was not for her, but for the right people, she wouldn’t think twice. Arcade Club may be only a sector of computer gaming—no Tetris or Bubble Bobble here. But it is Europe’s largest collection of arcade machines, and amazingly diverse, which makes it one of Manchester’s premium tourist destinations. Yet poorly reviewed, with no road signs? Wintermute, Johnny.