..what versions have you worked in?...

What is this, a job interview? Look, I think you've realized by the prodigious use of the term 'classic' that you are asking to compare Perl to something that is deprecated. You shouldn't be thinking of building new applications in something that is now outdated. That stuff is in support-only mode. That means you should tinker with it to support or perhaps enhance something that is already built and running, but new stuff should be built on new, stable-for-the-forseeable-future technology. So, ultimately, previous experience in this regard is not going to help you any.

...using Perl as an alternative to Visual Basic...

What other people think is meaningless. You should use the technology that a) your customer thinks you should be using and/or b) what you are already good at. If the client is giving you time to learn and freedom then work with what you enjoy working with.

...other scripting languages...

Although JavaScript is making heavy inroads to the server-side it is still mainly used as a client-side scripting language and as such doesn't really belong alongside the other two. You cannot get a comparison of how languages will work for you by asking people online. That is like asking people how a particular beer tastes. You will get 'fruity' or 'mild' or whatever but none of that means that you will like it or that it will go down your throat smoothly.

...ActivePerl...in ASP...

I think that is a question best asked of the ActivePerl folks (they have a forum and sales people) since your considerations might involve future support and licensing of products that they sell. Not everything ActiveState produces is free software. You have to license things and follow their release cycles, so although you could get a rough idea here your best bet is to peruse their website and check out their options.