THERE'S a new kids playground in town, and it's going to kick sand in the face of old fashioned family fun. Century City is the latest addition to Dublin's Parnell Centre on Parnell Street, and it promises to put the world of urban entertainment into a completely different reality. Not only will the kids be able to watch the latest blockbusters in the Virgin Cinema next door, they'll be able to star in their own sci-fi scenario, thanks to the virtual reality machines which Century City is bringing in straight from the "Holodeck" on the Starship Enterprise.
Century City is just part of a £30 million development which includes a themed sports pub and fast food restaurant, and an IMAX giant screen. By the time the whole complex is completed, you'll be able to arrive there in the morning with your whole family in tow, and keep them entertained for most of the day. After all, if you could ride a volcano, fly a Harrier jump jet, visit the Grand Canyon and explore the depths of the ocean, all without leaving Parnell Street, would you want to go home?
According to the Sheridan Group, which is developing the Parnell Centre, Century City will meet the demand for high end video participation within an urban entertainment environment". What that means in practice, according to the group's chairman, Peter Curistan, is that "we're trying to get away from the old image of the video arcade".
To this end, Century City's floor space juxtaposes the mythical images of Ancient Egypt with the popular views of a technoid future. So the place looks a bit like the set of Stargate. Into this custom designed area, the company has installed 83 machines, some of which have never been seen in Britain or Ireland before. Although many of them are pretty standard video stuff, others are a different ball game altogether.
THE Venturer 52 Simulator, which promises to be very popular with your darling little thrill seekers. A two seater job, the Venturer takes your kid on a heart stopping ride which will make Space Mountain look like a coach tour around Mullingar. The simulator can choose from 30 films, from a jet flight to a rally race, and it's designed to thrill even the most jaded joyrider.
It's a journey of the mind is more your speed, then the Orion interactive virtual reality machines will probably lure you away from the real world. You've seen it in sci-fi movies someone straps a visor on your head, gives you a hand control unit and you're suddenly propelled into another dimension. In one example, it's a boxing ring and you find yourself facing a megabruiser who makes Mike Tyson look like your mother. The bell rings for round one, and you must dance around the ring, dodge punchs, and try to get in a few right nooks for extra points.
To the spectator outside the ring, you're just some dork doing the twist on a free standing unit while flailing your arms about in thin air. But you know better. Terminator Tyson is about to make mincemeat of you, so this is no time worry about how stupid you look. And since these VR machines are going to prove vastly popular with today's technocentric youth, you'll do the lambada if it means getting to pilot an intergalactic cruiser.
According to Peter Curistan, urban entertainment is the way of the future, and he believes Dublin's north inner city is the perfect place to develop it. Since Richard Branson's Virgin Cinema opened, it has become one of the most successful cinemas in Europe, pulling in 20,000 punters a week. Curistan notes that major companies such as Penneys, McDonalds and Burger King are building new retail outlets in Parnell Street, and a lot of apartments and retail units are being developed. With Flix fast food and the Strike 4 bar already up and running, and a nightclub and themed food village planned for the near future, the Parnell Centre is already ahead of the game.
