This past weekend, our family watched “Titanic.” However, that wasn’t the only thing that brought me back to 1997.

Growing up in Spokane, there was a certain place that 11-year-old boys loved to be at. It was the best place for birthday parties and the coolest way that you could spend the afternoon with a friend.

I am talking about Laser Quest. With an exterior resembling a castle and a multi-level game play maze that opened so many possibilities, those two attributes just scratch the surface of Laser Quest’s mystique. From high quality equipment to pre-game briefings to instant results, the Laser Quest experience was top notch.

In fact, I became a laser tag snob. When I would play at other venues it just wouldn’t compare to what we had in downtown Spokane. Employees weren’t invested, equipment was finicky, and play areas were one-dimensional. It became apparent that Laser Quest truly was something special.

With Beau just a couple weeks shy of turning 6, I determined the time had arrived to take him and his sister to my childhood happy place. This past Saturday, we journeyed to downtown Spokane to play a round.

I prepped myself that things would probably be different when I walked inside the doors even if the exterior still had the castle-esque façade. After all, the name of the place was different. Instead of Laser Quest, it was now LaserMaxx, a major power player in the laser tag industry. My thought was that everything would probably be “corporatized” when we strolled in.

This is the LaserMaxx Spokane lobby. It was just how I remembered it.

Talk about a wrong assumption! Instead of a cookie cutter operation, it was like walking into a time capsule. Everything in the lobby from the drink cooler to the front desk to the arcade games seemed like an exact replica from 30 years ago.

Sloan messes around with the coin dispenser inside LaserMaxx Spokane prior to our laser tag game.

But it wasn’t just the layout that was a blast from the past. Believe it or not, the laser tag was just as exhilarating as decades ago. Equipment was updated and efficiencies had been made but the basics and experience still held true from my pre-teen days.

A grainy photo taken of Beau as he navigates the LaserMaxx Spokane maze. That boy had so much fun!

Just like the late 1990s/early 2000s, we chose our own “trooper” names, ascended the stairs to the briefing room, listened to a pep talk, ran wild for 15 minutes of laser tag fun, and then received our performance scorecard at the end.

This was my scorecard. My trooper name was “Boss” and I finished in 12th place out of more than 30 players.

Dang, we had fun. Beau roamed by my side for most of the game as I showed him the ropes. The maze was the exact same from when I was a boy so I pointed out some of the advantageous spots to stake out. Sloan was pretty independent but we did cross paths a couple times throughout the course of our round. When our time ran out, the kids still had adrenaline pumping when we stepped out into the lobby to receive our scorecards.

Out of 30+ “troopers” who played the game, Beau and Sloan finished in 15th and 16th place, respectively. I did just a tad better with a 12th place finish. Hey, I didn’t say that just because I played a lot as a kid that I was any good.

Sloan and Beau hold their scorecards in the LaserMaxx Spokane lobby. They are still asking me when we are going to return to play another round.

On our way home, Sloan and Beau were already asking when we could go back and play again. The return questions continued throughout the weekend.

If you live in Spokane and are looking for something to do with your kids, I would recommend LaserMaxx. After all these years it still delivers a special and competitive experience mixed with modern day improvements. Even though the kids had a blast, the dad who is pushing 40 may have enjoyed himself even more. But a lot of that is probably the nostalgia talking. Don’t Blink.