There’s no need to visit a public arena to prepare for laser-tag battle. An online version will give you and your coworkers a taste of the game.
For the crypto-violent world of Doom, the mother of all multi-player 3-D games, one fan has created a scaled-down version of an actual laser-tag arena. Steve Mavronis, a PC technician for the Harford (Maryland) County government, used the blueprints for Photon, a defunct arena in Baltimore, to simulate a laser-tag environment. The result is a new level for Doom II that he calls “Photon Doom.” Players stalk one another on a digital version of the original playing floor.
To play Photon Doom, get a registered copy of Doom II: Hell on Earth from Id Software. Then go to the Photon Web site and download Photon Doom. Up to four corporate warriors can do battle simultaneously. Warning: Unlike bloodless laser tag, Doom is not for the queasy of stomach. You’ll see the vivisected remains of victims, rendered in an orgy of color.
Coordinates:$25 (for Doom II). Id Software, http://www.idsoftware.com ; Photon Doom, http://www.photon-qei.com/doom.html