iClaw Taiwan (Parkway Parade)

iClaw Taiwan is a Taiwanese-style claw machine shop in the basement of Parkway Parade, with a second run of machines up on level 3. Look for the sign reading iCLQW — the Q is deliberate, not a misprint.

The machines are set up the way they are in Taipei, and the prizes run well past the usual plush: alongside the character goods there is a machine given over to higher-value items, where branded perfumes, small leather goods and film cameras turn up. Play is on tokens. Because the shop takes two separate spaces in the mall, it is worth walking both — the basement and level 3 are stocked differently, and the machine you want may be upstairs from where you started. It keeps mall hours, so you never need to check before setting off.

The higher-value machines are the draw, and also where the money goes, so pick your limit before you feed in the first token. If you have played these in Taipei you will recognise the setup on sight. If you have not, start on the cheaper plush machines and get a feel for how these claws behave before you try for anything expensive.