Take a shot!

The Sunday mid-day team played the Laser Wars at Shott, where as you navigate through laser beams that you must avoid, you have to also solve puzzles. Pics/Shadab Khan

It's only when you try and dodge laser beams that you realise your body is not as lithe as you imagined. Every turn of the head upsets the laser, and leads to points deducted. If we were in an Oceans 11 movie, we would have been dead by now.

But we are at Shott, Andheri's answer to the gaming arcades of Bandra and Lower Parel. Shott had two outlets before this, one in Surat and another in Ahmedabad, and they are not afraid of competition. They already win the "who is bigger" contest. Spread over 25,000 square feet at Crystal Mall, where once True Fitness used to be, the gaming arcade is ideal for a day out.

Spread over 25,000 square feet at Crystal Mall, Shott is Andheri's answer to the gaming arcades in Bandra and Lower Parel

The Sunday mid-day team started at the Laser Wars area, where as you navigate your way through laser beams that you must avoid while you solve puzzles. In the end, as you decrypt the final key, you get to press a button and save the world. We feel like Mr India! After a lot of slithering and dodging, we manage to finish the game, thanks to team work.

The bowling alley has Spark bowling lanes, an augmented reality experience brought in from the UK. Since it's an area with 12 lanes, there's enough room for many to play. Bowling, easy as it looks, takes time to get used to. Most of us throw gutter balls, although there were a few strikes as well. Though bowling isn't a novel concept anymore, the neon lights and animation make it fun.

Schezwan marbles

We are hungry by the time we are done, and happy we don't have to balance on our jelly knees to a restaurant outside. The Shott restaurant beside the bowling lanes offers popular, comforting eats. Try the Schezwan marbles. We washed it down with a Cosmopolitan.

Shott also offers other varied arcade games, inducing basketball, twister and race games. It could be the venue for an adventurous birthday party, or just a Sunday spent with friends.

WHAT: Shott
WHERE: Crystal Mall, Link Road, Andheri West
ENTRY: Rs 3,000 for a game card
CALL: 7574861517