Tenpin Sheffield: We visited sprawling entertainment complex bringing new life to forgotten part of city

The first thing that strikes you upon entering the new Tenpin entertainment complex in Sheffield city centre is just how big old Argos stores were.

When the catalogue giant closed its Angel Street shop, just off Castle Square, in 2021 it felt like another hammer blow to the Castlegate area which has never fully recovered from losing its markets.

But just over two years later, the huge space has been transformed into a sprawling leisure hotspot, complete with 21 bowling lanes, adventure-themed mini golf, karaoke, escape rooms, laser tag and more.

It's remarkable to think they've crammed all this into an old Argos, but the storage shelves behind the counter were clearly much more expansive than most shoppers ever realised.

We visited on a Sunday morning with our five-year-old son to try the bowling and the mini golf, and to grab a spot of lunch while we were there.

Bowling a breeze

The bowling was a breeze, my rusty bowling arm apart, with the simplest set-up I've ever encountered, no need to change shoes and the easy-to-select option to add bumpers for younger ones.

Each lane has its own TV screen, which was showing live golf during our visit, and you can order drinks without having to tear yourself away from the bowling.

But the highlight for us was the prison-themed mini golf, which was imaginatively designed to make the most of the small space.

It was challenging enough for the most polished of putters but not too demanding for your average hacker, and there was something for players of all ages.

Mini golf inventively designed, with something for all abilities

Working your way through the system from arriving in custody to braving the prison showers and eventually making your escape bid, there's lots of detail in the design, and plenty of variety.

The challenges range from variations on classic mini golf holes, like putting up a narrow ramp and into a toilet bowl to achieve your hole in one, to more inventive twists, like manoeuvring your ball through self-service cabinets in the prison mess hall using long-handled spoons in a task which would not feel out of place on the Crystal Maze.

One hole sees you compete head to head in a timed contest to sink as many balls as you can, avoiding the red holes which will add to your score, while in another the ball drops onto a pool table and you can wield your putter like a cue to bounce it in off the cushions.

There are the obligatory Instagrammable photo opps, too, including a line-up wall where you can pose with boards displaying your mini-golfing crimes.

Elsewhere at Tenpin there are pool tables, table tennis and air hockey, with various arcade games dotted around the place, from shoot-em-ups to driving simulations and basketball or beat-the-goalie football challenges at which you can win tokens to exchange for prizes.

Reasonably priced

We found them reasonably priced, with most costing £1 a go and the most expensive priced at £2.

Lunch was fairly basic but again inexpensive, with pizzas, burgers and hotdogs on the menu and a range of cocktails costing £6.25 each, £10.95 for two or £14.75 for a pitcher.

The bowling costs £7.25 per game for adults, £6.05 for children and £3.25 for students, with the option to add a burger and fries meal for just £4 extra for adults or £2.50 for children.

Nine holes of mini golf, meanwhile, will set you back £7.50 for adults and £5 for children or students, which struck us as reasonable value.

There are lots of deals, and plenty of party packages available too. We saw a children's party there, where the youngsters appeared to be having a great time.

Tenpin is just across the road from the National Videogame Museum and Kommune, which is one of the UK's top-rated foodhalls.

It's also around the corner from the adult-themed Glory Holes mini golf experience, which has proved a big hit with students.

It's a welcome addition helping to breathe fresh life into the long-forgotten area, where Sheffield Castle once stood and there are now plans for a new 40-storey tower and a riverside park celebrating the city's heritage.

For more details, and to book, visit: https://www.tenpin.co.uk/our-locations/sheffield/.