February 2018

- Overall rating:
City Mazes (London): The Lost Cabin

This game had some promise but was let down by the lack of attention to detail and a use of tech that took more away from the game than it added. Remove the tech and tighten up some of the solutions, and I think you may get a solid game. However, as it is, I’d head elsewhere in London where there are plenty of better games.

- Overall rating:
City Mazes (London): Bamboozled

A game that delivers an acceptable quality on all fronts while never really managing to do well on any of them. It isn’t a game that you’re going to travel across the city for but, if you do head along, I don’t think you’ll hate it either.

- Overall rating:
The Escaporium (Halifax): Operation Moonshine

An engaging Prohibition-themed room, with beautiful decorations, a magnificent centrepiece and puzzles that held my interest right till the end of the game.

- Overall rating:
The Escaporium (Halifax): The Haligonian

A charming room and perfect for players who are looking for something that’s perhaps a little more cultural and touristy than your average escape room.

Lamplighters

Every year, I find a couple of things that look interesting at the Vaults and head down to try them out. This time round, one of those experiences was Lamplighters, which appeared to be some sort of immersive gaming theatre event. Add to that a friend vouching for the central (and only) actor as being
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- Overall rating:
Escape Hull: The Darker Side of Hull

First impressions aren’t that exciting but this turns out to be a pretty game with a reasonable flow of logical puzzles. It’s not going to knock your socks off but, if you want a game that showcases some of the history of the city, is generally pleasant to be in and serves up a decent set of puzzles, then this will do nicely.

- Overall rating:
Cryptx (Cambridge): The Gaol

It’s not a game where you’ll be amazed by the decor or with amazingly challenging puzzles but there’s enough here to carry the game and little that will cause frustration.

- Overall rating:
By © ErikvanB / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=55468780

© ErikvanB / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 (not a picture of the actual room) Outside the room Cryptx is an unusual venue. It’s eschewed the usual city centre or industrial outskirts and instead opted for a location that’s pretty much in the middle of nowhere. It’s a bold move that suggests a certain confidence in their games,
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