About - The Retro Computer Museum is open Saturdays and Sundays from 10am until3:30pm, they are also open on select bank holidays.
'In the heart of Leicestershire lies a building brimming with gaming history!
Featuring classic systems such as the Sinclair Spectrum, Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga and Atari 2600. Gaming giants including Nintendo NES, Sega MegaDrive, Xbox and PlayStation. Plus the truly unique Virtuality VR systems and the one of a kind CD1200!
However we haven't got to the best bit! Everything is out to not only touch, but to play on! Using original hardware and with a colossal software library. It truly is a gamers paradise!'
The visit - We booked to visit as a birthday treat for my partner - a trip down memory lane! The museum came highly recommended by my children, who had already visited before. I booked online before the visit. We arrived not long after opening and I realised that I hadn't quiet appreciated the vast array on offer under one roof. A member of staff offered to take us for a walk and explain ho everything worked - this was helpful and we were left to begin our visit knowing what was on offer, but also that we could just ask any staff member should we need any help. There is a large room with a large amount of retro consoles, then you go through to a room with one sofa area with consoles to play and then a sofa to sit and relax on should you need a screen break or snack!
There is then two rooms of arcade games and VR games available to play for free as part of the extremely reasonable admission fee. There are then rooms with magazines and some games available to buy. The rooms are all well stocked.
From our arrival the staff were welcoming and knowledgeable - if there is a game that you remember from your childhood, just and if they have it they will sort it out for you. Apart from a few minutes eating a quick snack on the sofa, we played on games for the whole of our visit - we made a fleeting visit to the arcade room, but the retro computers and pinball were where we spent a majority of our time, The 12 year old was older enough to go on the VR machines, but this didn't even cross him mind as he was so engrossed in everything else!
Will I be back? - Yes! We have already been talking about when we might next visit. The moment where I was sat playing the Yogi Bear came on the Commodore 64, bought flooding back so many fond childhood memories, sitting in my bedroom playing this with my sister! As I began to play more and more things came back to me with each sound from the game. Who knew rescuing Boo Boo from prison whilst being chased by an Indian chief and mousse would be so much fun!
Extra touches - There is a small shop at the front entrance to the museum - this is well stocked with an extremely reasonable range of items such as snack bars, crisps, sweets and chocolates, and coffees fresh from a machine behind the counter. They also have a jar of lollies which make a great child or adult treat!
We booked our tickets online, when we arrived we were given a loyalty card - collect 6 stamps and get a visit for a person for free. There was also a coffee loyalty card when purchasing a hot beverage.
Facilities - There were several toilets on sight, these were well kept and looked new. There was a baby change table in one of these also.
Accessibility - There is a small step and a fairly narrow door in order to access the main entrance of the museum, so I would advise contacting them beforehand if you have any accessibility needs.
Alternative diets - There was the option of soya milk to have in any coffees that you purchased.
Important information;
Retro Computer Museum
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