Hidden away on the 3rd floor of the unassuming Ela Mill, Cork St, it would be easy to miss the Arcade Club in Bury. With games such as Streets Of Rage, Golden Axe (two of my personal favourites) Asteroids, Black Widow, Hot Rod, Pacman, Point Blank, Frogger, Sega Rally Twin, Michael Jackson's Moonwalker, House Of The Dead 2, Ikaruga, Donkey Kong, Mortal Kombat II, Shinobi and Vulcan Venture alongside pinballs machines like Addams Family and Metallica and Twilight Zone - to name just a few - I genuinely could not wait to get inside. 

I even got to chat with the owner Andy Palmer and his mum Linda to learn a little more about Arcade Clubs origins.

They began their venture in Haslingden, Lancashire after placing a few machines in the computer repair shop that Andy runs. This became so popular that the opened the very first Arcade Club in Haslingden, starting with around 30 machines. Soon expanding to over 120 machines, people were queuing out of the door, with the Arcade Club then having to enforce a 'one in one out' policy!

As with a lot of people, arcade games have always been a love affair for Andy and he began his collection over 20 years ago, now boasting over 300 machines. Their passion for Arcade Club is clear to see. With volunteers helping out on a regular basis, Linda explained to me that the main goal here is community.

"We are big believers in the local community, with parents bringing in their children of all ages to enjoy some rare family time, away from the modern technology of phones and the internet. People love coming in and reliving their teenage years. It also opens up classic arcade games to a brand new generation.”

My friend Lewis and I were also given access to Arcade Clubs other floor in Ela Mill, not currently open to the public. I was in awe, with so many games from my childhood being repaired and getting ready to be used upstairs. Some of the machines here are over 30 years old, which is mind blowing given that some of them were only initially made to last for a few years maximum. Andy has plans to expand this space in the months ahead, bringing in a potential board game club, PC gaming, pool tables, a bar, LAN gaming, tournaments, competitions and much more in the future.

I was also surprised to see just how many of the younger generation were in attendance on our visit, having - somewhat naively - assumed that the main audience would predominately be my own age group, looking for a hit of gaming nostalgia.

The Arcade Club is the biggest collection of retro arcade games in Europe, with people even flying in from Germany and America to attend. You can also hire Arcade Club out exclusively, which I am seriously contemplating taking advantage of for our next big occasion.

With no advertising or corporate agenda behind this venture, Arcade Club rely solely on word of mouth as their means of promotion. Given that this is a hugely popular concept, I could very much imagine this kind of venue would be right at home in the Northern Quarter, Manchester. However, it was almost refreshing to hear that profit is the last thing on Andys mind. They charge just £10 per adult and £5 per child to come along and spend as much or as little time here as they like.

They also offer an array of retro and gaming memorabilia, a pick and mix selection (yes, we indulged) and soft drinks priced from just 50p, along with bottled beers and hot dogs. Open Fridays from 6pm - 12am as an over 18s only night, Saturdays from 11am - 11pm  and Sundays 2pm -  8pm for all the family, this is a unique and fun way to spend the weekend.