USERS of a new virtual reality attraction have been feeling like they’ve been “shrunk and put into a computer game”, the man behind the business says.

Centre VR opened in Bournemouth’s BH2 leisure complex recently and is set to launch a second, bigger site in the town.

Visitors of all ages have been enjoying immersive experiences including the game Tower Tag, in which they enter a science fiction landscape and fire laser blasters at other players.

Colin Parnell, a video director who became excited by the possibilities of virtual reality (VR), said: “It’s like being shrunk and put into a computer game, or into the Matrix from the film series.

“Everyone loves it. We’ve got nothing but really positive reviews.”

The BH2 attraction has six Tower Tag stations and four seats for playing driving games. A second attraction, due to open in November at the Richmond Gardens centre, will have 30 VR stations.

The two attractions represent a £750,000 investment in the town by Mr Parnell, who has already opened a VR attraction at Portsmouth’s Gunwharf Quays. The centres are equipped with top of the range HTC Vive Pro headsets.

Mr Parnell said the 30-station centre at Richmond Gardens would be unique.

“Around the world, the average is six and most of the bigger ones are eight. For us to have 30 is unheard of in the world,” he said.

“As far as I know there’s only one with more. That’s in Dubai, where there’s a VR theme park.”

Mr Parnell became a fan of VR when he was working for The Gadget Show at Birmingham’s NEC and the host, Jason Bradbury, persuaded him to try the Vive headset.

He says the VR centres will also be attractive to schools, offering pupils the chance to discover marine life or explore the Titanic.