A brief review of the Twisted Rooms venue which closed down not long after we visited. It’s not gone forever though – it’s reopening later this year nearby.

A high quality venue where we played two quite different games. If you’re a fan of more traditional escape rooms then They Stole a Million will probably appeal but if you want something a big higher tech then Countdown to Meltdown is the better choice. Or just play both!

At its heart, a genuinely good game, but utterly ruined by the cluing system and some breaks to standard escape room conventions. A place I came out of incredibly frustrated, feeling that you could improve the game immensely by making just three or four small changes that don’t really affect the fundamentals.

In a quiet seaside town you might expect a relatively basic game, but what we found was a strong room that would stand up well in any market. It’s got plenty of interesting and logical puzzles, is well decorated and weaves in a story that you can choose to take or leave.

A fun-filled adventure, packed full of puzzles and searching that kept the pair of us occupied for almost 40 minutes with barely a pause for breath. This isn’t high brow escaping with complicated puzzles, amazing backdrop or deep narrative. This is easy-access with puzzles that aren’t too daunting, a set that more than does its job and a flow that kept the adrenaline high right to the very end.

A charming game which stacks up well against the other offerings at the venue. Solid, fairly varied puzzles and an original theme that drew me in.

Another beautiful game which was a joy to spend time in. If you love searching, then it’s a great game to play but, if you’re looking for something more to challenge you in the room, you’ll probably leave a little disappointed.

A spacious, pretty room that takes advantage of the local history to present an interesting tale. Unfortunately the small number of puzzles let it down, lacking direction and too often being temperamental.

A roundup of all the games we played in Amsterdam including at Questomatica, Sherlocked, Save Amsterdam, Escape World, Boom Chicago, MyEscape.Club, Logiclocks and Locked.Amsterdam. 18 games and not one of them was bad – this may be the city with the highest average quality of all that I’ve played.

A short roundup of three games we played in Breda (in the south of the Netherlands). None were amazing but, if you’re in the area, I’d point you at the Mail Room as the best of the group.