Like Handles, I am a fan of the Darton Viper. I still have mine. It is as good a shooter as I have ever had, although my Bowtech Pro 38 might just edge it a bit for ease of shooting well, and definitely for speed. I have kept the Viper, while trying other bows to find something " better."
It was easier to shoot well with the Viper than with 1. Pearson Bushwhacker, 2. Continental Denali, 3. High Country Carbon Force, 4. Firebrand Discovery, 5. Mathews Q2 XL, 6. Mathews MQ1, 7. Darton Mountain 2000 CPS, 8. Darton Maverick, and the latest attempt, 9. McPherson 38 Special.
Most of these bows had less recoil, even though the Viper does not recoil too bad for a two cam bow of " ancient" design. The way I have the Viper rigged, it is as quiet as any of the above mentioned bows. I really think this design was ahead of its time, being designed around 1990.
That said, I no longer have the Mountain 2000 or the Mav. I tried to Sims them into some semblence of quiet and low recoil. The Maverick got better than the Mountain, and really was not that noisey when shot outside. I did also have the MQ1 at the time, which may explain why I thought the Mav. was not my cup of tea at the time. The main reason, though, was that it didn' t do anything that the Viper could not do, and it had some resale value, unlike the Viper, which might fetch a whopping $75 if I am lucky.
The CPS system does have some great features to it. I would agree with the opinions of some that for Darton to get a significantly greater market share, they would do well to make their bows quieter, and with less recoil. Smooth draw, accuracy, shootability, and a bow that will stay in tune, they have pretty well down.
If I was not so impressed with my Bowtech, I would probably be in the market for a Maverick Extreme, Avalanche, or Rampage. All should be great bows, IMHO.