This has to be one of the finest ways to spend an evening here in Portland. Well, if you are a nerd like myself, that is. Ground Kontrol is a classic arcade, featuring all the best of arcade games from the original Ms PacMan and Frogger to slightly newer yet still older Mortal Kombat as well as the hilarious original Dance Dance Revolution. They also have a wide selection of random pinball machines, many featuring truly awful movies (Demolition Man, point and case). And the best part? All of the machines play for a quarter or two. This means that your five dollars can go a long way, especially if you know what you are doing. Sadly, I do not. I loose right away (especially when I have no idea what is going on -- I still don't know how the Track and Field game works, despite almost two dollars worth of attempts). But it is fun even if I can't get past level one in Joust!Ground Kontrol is a bar (albeit canned beer only), so those under 21 will have to find alternate entertainment. For a detailed listing of the games go to www.groundkontrol.com, including information on Portland's thriving pinball leauge. Who knew?
