Bungalows and Bears: ‘We tried Sheffield pub's new Arrowsmiths digital darts board - and it got competitive’

After a three week closure, Bungalows and Bears has re-opened this week with some new hi-tech gear - and we were invited to check it out.

The Division Street venue is one of the latest Mitchells & Butlers pubs to launch Arrowsmiths, a digital darts experience for guests aged over 18. The left hand side of the pub has been fitted with five chic new booths that can fit up to 12 people to play on the interactive dart boards.

We were told it was a perfect midweek or weekend treat with friends or colleagues, so my colleague Harry Harrison and I felt it was only right to give it a go.

As we arrived through the double doors into the former Central Fire Station, we were swiftly taken upstairs to one of the booths, given our darts, and shown how to use the touch screen. We were given 90 minutes to play for free, which would cost £9 per person. 

As two 20-somethings who grew up with tech, we had no issue setting up our game. We liked the option of being able to take a selfie as our avatar, though our photographer who was with us wasn’t as keen on this option and chose a smiley face instead.

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After putting our names in the system, we had lots of options for games that tested your aim - or in our case, luck. Above the darts board is a TV screen that shows the dart board and counts up your scores as you go. It also has fun animations for each of the games, and shows you what you need to score to win.

We first opted for the classic 301 game which I am proud to say I won after I hit the 4 with just 4 points left. You can make the game easier or harder by choosing the option that the game can only start or end by hitting a double or triple, but we didn’t bother with this.

Our competitiveness made us play three games of the 301 where each of us won once. We then played ‘Blockbuster’ which was a more animated version of 301, and then ‘Showtime’ where the person that scored the most points in six rounds won. We opted not to play any that relied on you hitting specific numbers or the bullseye as we knew we would be there a while if we did.

We were offered food and drinks while we were playing, though we stuck to soft drinks given it was midday on a Tuesday. You could flick a switch in our booth that would turn a light green and alert staff that we wanted drinks, food or general assistance - this would be a great feature during a particularly heated duel where you couldn’t step away.

By the end of our 90 minutes, I had only won one game, came second twice, and came third twice. But thankfully this did place me above Harry, but ultimately the photographer won.

All in all, it was really good fun. I love that there are several boards and that you can book them in advance to avoid the awkwardness of waiting. Not having to do your own maths is also definitely a bonus! This will definitely be a popular activity in Sheffield as word gets out.

To book your experience at the new Arrowsmiths visit: https://www.bungalowsandbears.com/#/ or call 0114 279 2901.