Who doesn't love being locked in a room for an hour with up to five friends and a bunch of cryptic…read moreclues in order to escape? To be honest, that's the whole review right there, but let me elaborate and put some colour into this. When a friend got in touch and asked if I'd be up for a "live escape game" my answer was immediately yes. In fact, it was yes a million years ago -- I love this kind of thing. (Yes, I played 2.8 hours later three years running -- I'm a fan of pretend.) So, a group was established for the game, and we set a date. Finding this place is part of the adventure itself, since you get to wander around the back streets of Mabgate, which looks like prime zombie territory. (Don't be scared, it's actually fine -- even from real life danger.) You'll get to an ominous-looking door, open it, and downstairs is a rehearsal room for bands -- go upstairs and find another ominous-looking door. The game master will wrench that open and you've arrived at Locked In Games HQ. They've two different rooms. The game? You and a bunch of mates (up to six, I believe) will get locked into a room where you'll see a whole bunch of puzzles you have to solve in order to 'escape' the room. I'm not going to go into much detail, since that'd ruin it, but we chose the Classroom Of Doom room. It was totally exciting. The game master watches you play via video link and can give you hints at different points, if needed. I suggest planning a strategy of some kind when you go in, since we all individually went nuts and began investigating different clues -- you need to be able to work together otherwise it's mayhem. But hey, it's up to you how you work it out! And there it is. You have to put the clues in the room together in order to escape. After an hour, you lose the game if you've not sussed it, and I think the record was around 46 minutes for that room. We finished about a minute past that, I think? Anyway, we were pretty chuffed and apparently worked out some of the puzzles faster than other teams. (Or maybe she was flattering us!) Personally, I'd have loved it if the game had been a little more like Knightmare meets Crystal Maze (say, you have to open one door and then have a puzzle to escape that next area, and your mates can get locked out, and there be more penalties) but I am a massive geek and I love this kind of thing. Basically, I might volunteer to design them a hardcore/extended game version, because I'm that sad... Anyway! TL;DR -- Book yourself and your mates in for an exciting, alternative evening of fun. Who said it's all about the pub? This shiz is the biz.

The concept is simple but so clever : you are basically locked in a room with your friends and have…read moreone our to escape. Locked in games is the first escape game i had ever done and I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be much help to the group but actually everyone brings something to the team. You might miss something but someone else will see it after. With team work, it all works out ! Do listen to your team though and share every little details or you could lose a lot of time, and time is precious ! So you get though the room and you hear the door being actually locked. Worried looks are shared and here you go looking for clues in every little corner possible, even the most unlikely. But who knows... there might be something there. You start opening locks and a chain of reaction starts until the very last locks on the main door. To help you, there is a screen where the team of locked in game will post clues and guide you. You can also see the time that you have left. Very helpful and stressfull ! We did the classroom of Doom one which was great ! The asmosphere is well settle with children playing and shouting, a bit creepy sometimes. And the best part, we did manage to get out ! Woop ! So if you like board games and have a team spirit or want to challenge yourself, this is for you ! One hour of fun and stress with your friends or your family. Can't wait to try the other room !

I have played The Invitation and Vault 17 and loved both games. Vault 17 is more interactive, while…read moreThe Invitation has a few hard puzzles, both are great fun! Hosts are very helpful too. Sign-up on their site for promotions, which make it amazing value for money!

As an escape room (and groupon) junkie I couldn't pass up an opportunity for a Blueprint game when…read moreI saw it on Groupon. Brilliant set up and great variety of puzzles, fun and challenging. The looks pretty authentic - as if you stepped in to cold war times via time machine. Highly recommend!