My name's Stefan and I'm a danceaholic. I've reached the point where my feet and legs move of their own free will.

Sometimes, when I close my eyes, I can see the moves I'm trying to make.

I blame the Dancing Stage EuroMIX machine in the arcades on Palace Pier and I'm not alone in this because games like Dancing Stage and Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) have helped create a whole new generation of arcade addicts.

If you don't believe me, take a peek in Brighton's arcades. Wherever you find a crowd of teenage boys and girls you will be pretty much guaranteed to find a dancing game in their midst, churning out cheesy tunes.

EuroMIX was designed specifically for the European market and features tracks by artists such as Boyzone (So Good) and Gloria Gaynor (I Will Survive). If you like pop music, the songs are catchy to the point of being dangerous.

Konami, the Japanese video games company behind the game, says: "The principal of Dancing Stage is simple. To get a high score, you must be a good dancer. However, the gameplay is so straightforward even the most uncoordinated of people can soon learn."

The idea of the game is to follow a sequence of arrows on the screen, placing your feet upon the corresponding arrow on the platform at the base of the machine as the on-screen arrow reaches that point.

If you can't manage this, you get booed by the machine and sometimes by the crowd that inevitably gathers when someone starts playing the game. So I decided to search the web for hints and tips.

Although I didn't find much in the way of help, I read about people ripping DDR MP3s so they can listen to the songs throughout the day and internet competitions that allow the footloose and fancy free to take on the world.

I watched an online movie of a Dancing Stage competition, which featured two lads dancing like John Travolta on speed - far faster than anyone I've encountered on the Pier.

The Arcades Flyers web site provided the original flyer for the game, while the System 16 arcade museum site said the machines weigh 427kg and are 226 cm tall.

All of which confirms I need rehabilitating before other games like Beatmania, Drummania and the intriguingly named Dancing Stage Featuring True Kiss Destination get their teeth into me.

If only I could stop dancing.

www.brightonpier.co.uk/indexflash.htm
www.konami.com
www.system16.com
www.arcadeflyers.com