Miscellany: Fun Depot

The family fun center is a common business. These establishments generally combine the joys of the video arcade, the go-kart circuit, the mini-golf course, and the laser tag facility all in one. One of the sorriest examples of their ilk, though, can be found in Lake Worth, just off I-95 and 10th Avenue North: Fun Depot.

My sister nicknamed it "Fun Ghetto" because in truth, the place was pretty "sketch." The arcade was actually fairly good, with the usual assortment of gun games, DDR machines, and racing cabinets, along with the standard carnival-style ticket dispensing machines. Once you stepped into the other areas, though, it became apparent that this is a second-class clone of better places, like Boomers!.

The go-kart track was a sad, twisted affair. The go-karts themselves were in disrepair, with cracked and battered body shells and heavily-throttled engines that moved them around at a sluggish pace. You also only received a paltry two laps per go-arround.

Next was the "food" stand. Now, in a place like this, I don't expect great cuisine, but the monstrosities that were served to us - greasepan fries and bricklike pretzel bites - were not meant for human consumption. I mean, the place made McDonald's look like La Tour d'Argent. To top it off, it took twenty minutes to get our food.

By far the highlight of the day was the laser tag room. It's much smaller than most laser tag facilities, but it cleverly segregates the opposing teamswith barriers, preventing the kind of nose-to-nose fighting that a standard dungeon or maze can create. There was also lots of cover, which made the whole thing feel like playing "Gears of War" for real. If you ever go to Fun Depot, play laser tag and the arcade, and for God's sake, bring your own food.