January 2017

CoLab Theatre: Hunted

A disappointing first half, especially for anyone who’s attended a Wiretapper event, and a damp squib of an ending left this experience wanting in spite of the middle of the show having a strong set, high octane scenes and generally good acting.

A Place in Time: Maman le Mot

A tongue-in-cheek ‘Allo ‘Allo style performance where I could never quite get my head round whether it was a serious game or not. When it was good, it was very, very good but there were a few too many moments where I was left disappointed.

- Overall rating:
Clue Adventures: The Book of Secrets

A game that literally puts some magic back into escape rooms. This is a tough escape room with lots of puzzles and plenty of challenge – possibly too much for a lot of teams. Take a biggish group along and keep your focus and you’ll have plenty of fun.

Escape Game Products: The Enigma Files

A game with a long list of flaws that I somehow seemed to actually enjoy. Once you get over flimsy components, annoying red herrings, a dubious puzzle, insufficient puzzles, a disappointing story, off-theme puzzles and no real finale you’ll find a distinct sense of achievement in having finished the game (most likely after having waited for an email response to clue requests…).

- Overall rating:
The Panic Room (Harlow): The Witch House

A good second outing from the Panic Room that demonstrated their improved craft in creating rooms. What they’d lost in sheer size and volume of puzzles, they’d made up for in creativity and theme. I’m excited to see what their future games will be like.