January 2020

- Overall rating:
Lockhill (Athens, Greece): Sanatorium

A fantastic experience, creepy even in non-scary mode, and potentially terrifying in the scarier version with actors. It’s got good puzzles, a great sense of exploration, “fun” character interactions and amazing theming. If you’re in Athens, and think you can cope, play this game, ideally in MIDNIGHT mode.

- Overall rating:
Lockhill (Athens, Greece): Lockwood Manor

A game that felt like a slightly tired creepy experience. Don’t get me wrong: in another market, this would be a solid room, but Athens just isn’t any old market so, in order to compete, games have to be impressive. It’s a reasonable game but not one I’d visit unless I had a lot of time in the city.

- Overall rating:
Fox in a Box (London): Zodiac Killer

A solid addition to London’s games. There’s an interesting start, good decoration and enjoyable, logical puzzles. It may not have amazed me, but it did keep me interested throughout, and it never let me down. If you’re happy with the theme, then it’s well worth a visit.

- Overall rating:
Project Breakout (Brighouse, Yorkshire): Operation Clearsafe

A fun experience with logical puzzles that should appeal to players as long as they’re happy with mild scares. An interesting layout helps keep players engaged, although the linear puzzle flow may leave you feeling a little bit blocked, particularly with larger teams.

- Overall rating:
Project Breakout (Brighouse, Yorkshire): Antidote

A fun game, with logical, enjoyable puzzles. You’re not going to find anything earth-shattering, but there’s plenty of fun to be had here, and the theatre at each end of the experience adds something a little unusual to proceedings.

- Overall rating:
Escapem (Sabadell, nr Barcelona, Spain): Bajo Zero

A great game with a real feeling of adventure. There are good, logical challenges embedded within the experience but, if you choose the hard option, expect to find a couple that are less fun.

Athens Escape Review: Room 54 (Swamp of Sorrows and Ring of Protection)

Two very different games. Swamp of Sorrows was an impressive experience that transported us to a new world with varied puzzles and an interesting finale. Ring of Protection didn’t engage me with its repeated use of missions over puzzles and a generally less impressive set.