www.quarks.co.uk

NOTE:***If you're looking for corporate (business) hire please go here***

What's it all about?

These days it's pretty easy to organise a games night with your mates if you're using consoles, split screens and games controllers. Just turn up, plug in and off you go. However, if you like your own screen, prefer the more precise control of keyboard and mouse, and want to have a large multiplayer all at the same time in the same room, well, there's nothing like a good old fashioned 'LAN Party'. Ah yes, that wonderful feeling of taking out that guy sitting next to you in a surprise move even your team mates weren't expecting, that sheer pleasure of watching him work out what just happened and the verbal blurb (usually in the form of a promise of revenge) that follows. It can only happen in a group environment like the ones we provide at Quarks.

Over the last decade or so Quarks has hosted literally hundreds of birthday parties, lads' nights out, stag do's and various other excuses for playing games with your mates for hours on end! We can cater for pretty much anything along these lines - we've even hosted international clan events on lesser known games that we've had to install and configure first.

Most of us, however, are interested in a couple of hours 'frag fest', ie, a total free for all OR team based scenario of the most popular First Person Shooters, usually Counterstrike, DeathMatch, Call of Duty, Quake, Unreal Tournament and the like, and that's what we do best.

Alternatively, RTS (Real Time Strategy) games are popular in a LAN, such as Age of Empires, or even RPGs (Role Playing Games) such as World of Warcraft where raids and other adventures can be co-ordinated in real time with your colleagues to hand.

How does it work?

As simply as you'd like it too. Just work out the number of friends you'd like to bring (6 would probably be the minimum, 10 is the maximum), organise a date and how long you'd like to stay for, let us know, and then turn up. We CAN organise tournaments and scores, but we know from years of experience the most fun events are those that are casual and informal. This means, all participants usually play the same game at the same time against each other and play for no more than kudos.

Who is it suitable for?

For daytime birthday parties, the optimum age seems to be about 11 - 15. It's not only an extremely popular pastime for this age group, but they all tend to know what they're doing and how to play. Although we have been seeing the rise of girl gamers through the ranks over the last few years, it IS a primarily male orientated event and this should be borne in mind if you have a mixed group.

We have also run many out of hours, late night and even all night events for special occasions such as stag do's, although these are at our discretion due to staffing and other logistical issues. It's always worth contacting us though to see what we can do and who's available.

Picture: Now THAT's a LAN Party. It wasn't at Quarks though. Sorry.

How much does it cost?

There are three basic packages shown below. However, tailored events can also be created with a bit or organization in advance.

The Lite Lan:

2 hours of mayhem to include a can of drink* and quick snack (chocloate or crisps)

£7.00 a head (minimum 6, maximum 10)

The BIG FRAG FEST:

3 hours of carnage to include 2 cans of drink* and a main meal of your choice (Reading only)

£13.00 a head (minimum 6, maximum 10. Guildford branch: £11.00 a head, meal substituted with snacks**)

THE ULTIMATE:

4 Hours of utter anarchy to include 3 cans of drinks* and a main meal of your choice (Reading only)

*alcohol excluded. Cans can be substituted by coffees or teas if preferred. Premium drinks excluded.

**GFD: 3 cans OR 2 bottles. Excludes premium drinks. 2 snacks per person, eg muffin and pringles.

What are the rules?

There's not many. Try and be on time, please be ready to go when your time is up and treat the equipment with respect. We also ask that you do not bring outside food or drink into the premises, with the notable exception of birthday cakes!

What games are there and what are the facilities?

Ah, very important question, this. All will be revealed here.

How do I enquire?

The best way to start is to send us an email. Include the date you're after, the number of players, the time you're after and the package you'd like. We'll take it from there. That's it! See you there and happy fragging ....!