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Laser tag goes higher tech

By JESSICA KLIPA
Published March 17, 2006

The friends huddled together in a dark room lit with black lights awaiting a chance for a little friendly fire.

They were waiting to play LaserStrike at the Ice Sports Forum, the first state-of-the-art laser tag arena in Florida with Lasertron equipment.

LaserStrike games work like laser tag, except with a twist:

Lasertron vests can light up red, green, yellow or blue to run a game with as many as four teams.

"They were head and shoulders above the laser tag equipment out there," said Chris Hammel, assistant general manager for marketing at the Ice Sports Forum.

On top of that, the vests are more lightweight and the LT-11 phasers smaller, making the equipment versatile for all ages, Hammel said.

The young customers celebrating a birthday said they especially liked the advance technology. Excitement about the game spread around the room like lightning.

Kyle Raymond, 14, couldn't help but notice the difference that the Lasertron equipment made in the game.

Armed with his vest and phaser, he pointed out to his friends the two extra sensors on his shoulders.

And that was before the game began.

At the start, doors opened revealing an outer space atmosphere with fog to enhance the lasers.

The blue and red teams swarmed the darkness on a mission to be the team that finished with the most points. Teams could earn 25 points for a tag but lose 5 points if tagged or 10 if tagged by a teammate.

As soon as the announcer said, "Let the games begin," team members strategically moved their way toward their goal, ducking behind barriers to hide from their opponents.

Brazen players, like Paul Zanatta, 34, who hosted his son's birthday party, stepped into an open area and faced his opponent in a duel until his young nemesis retreated to repower his phaser.

Zanatta, who had never tried the game before, said he thought the game was "exciting" and "fast paced."

"It was everything we expected and more," he said. "We'll definitely do it again."

James Abrams, a manager of Lasertron in Buffalo, N.Y., said he likes the fact that laser tag is family oriented.

"People just don't understand how fun it is," he said. "It's not just for kids. It's for adults."

Abrams, who spent the week at the Ice Sports Forum, was in charge of training referees for the new system. Two minutes into the game, he blew his whistle and chased after a renegade that had violated one of the rules. No running allowed. Abrams sent him to time out.

Still, the kids said they had a blast.

"I've never played anything this fun before," Raymond said.

[Last modified March 17, 2006, 09:43:12]