Molly Minerva (Get Wells Soon)

A unique beginning - with a particularly good opening puzzle - that opens out into a frantic game that is jam-packed with things to do. As a team of two, we managed it in 48 minutes, so it is definitely achievable if you put your foot to the accelerator and divide and conquer.

It is a gorgeous room and the puzzles are themed very well to fit in with the local story of two women accused of witchcraft.

Despite the subject matter, this is not a scary room at all and those of a nervous disposition have nothing to worry about in here!

Our host, Lucas, just loves his escape rooms and we felt extremely welcome at Make Your Escape.  Of the three rooms we did here, this was my personal favourite, although the combination of Dystopia and Utopia is an absolute winner as well!

A brilliant sequel to Dystopia, these rooms as a combination are absolute winners! Loads of tech and crammed full of puzzles. Superb hosts - particularly Lucas - whose enthusiasm was just second to none. 

A super game that links beautifully to Utopia, its smart, shiny cousin. A lovely lot of padlocks, some great physicality and a whole host of clever puzzles make this a great experience that definitely needs to be played directly before playing Utopia. 

I really wanted to love this room. I'd read so many great reviews of the other versions of this game and it looks absolutely brilliant... but we found this a tricky experience.

There are bound to be teething issues with a new setup and we visited the York branch after six days of it opening, so hopefully the issues will be straightened out as more people do the rooms.

The set is just gorgeous and there are some lovely puzzles in here but we spent a long time trying to work some fiddly tech that, in the end, just didn't work. There also seems to be a bit of a design flaw in that the people from the room next door burst into our room halfway through our time, which did kind of ruin the immersive nature of the game.

I hate to leave any kind of negative review but this one just didn't work for us; saying that, all of the issues were solvable so hopefully all those problems will get sorted.

While this might not be the fanciest Egyptian-themed room we've done, we had a great time in here and we really enjoyed the puzzles. There are a lot of padlocks and some nicely put together puzzles that make good use of the limited space. Everything follows on logically and makes sense, which always makes for an enjoyable room.

Rob is an incredibly enthusiastic host and he makes the experience very personal, which makes a huge difference to the overall enjoyment factor.

A cute, enjoyable Christmas room that was a real hoot from start to finish. There are lots of classic Christmas puzzles and, while it's a fairly compact playing space, there are plenty of puzzles to go round.

It's a classic padlock situation with some quirky puzzles that made us chuckle. 

A fantastic set that we loved working our way through to collect the three relics and escape the tomb. There were some super physical challenges with some clever puzzles that linked beautifully with the theme.

Our Achilles' heel came with the penultimate puzzle, which - judging by lots of the other reviews and blogs - has frustrated a few other teams too.

Saying that, we really enjoyed this game, as we love a classic theme and a room that feels immersive and theatrical.

There is so much to do in here that it's difficult to know where to start! This is an excellent room that provides challenge after challenge. We loved the sheer volume of puzzles in here and absolutely loved the concept of getting as much loot as possible.

The adrenaline was pumping for the entire hour and we were really pleased with our haul (including the elusive diamond) as well as our step count!

A whole vault full of fun. Highly recommended... although bring 3 or 4 people for maximum heist-ing!

It's a fun take on the 'collect all you can' concept but with a clever twist that worked really well. This has a lovely big floor plan with lots to explore and some super puzzles to stretch the grey matter.

We had a blast in here and spent the whole time busy solving puzzles. A quirky room that felt really unique and provided us with lots of talking points afterwards!

A great play-at-home game with decent puzzles and lovely materials.

A decent offering for a play at home although a couple of obscure clues that tripped us up a little.

This was a lovely escape room style challenge that kept us occupied in December and there were some really inventive puzzles. We'll definitely be getting next year's calendar!

A really beautiful game with an inventive beginning that creates that sense of immersion and magic. The puzzles are lovely and theming is sustained throughout. There were some really magical moments and one particularly gorgeous prop that was just a delight.

Our only quibble, however, was simply that there wasn't enough of it. We sailed through it and found ourselves disappointed to be at the end I such a short time.

Saying that, it's a lovely room that was a pleasure to do.

This was a theme we were really looking forward to and we loved being in the world of 1605. It's a straightforward room with one particularly clever moment that made us chuckle.

Hosting is important in this game and ours didn't disappoint. We enjoyed the theatrical moments of this game...

Without a doubt, one of the most fun, action-packed, puzzle-heavy games we have ever played. The set (and it does feel like a film set) is absolutely enormous. A plethora of puzzles awaits you in this absolute mammoth of an escape room. There are so many elements that make this such a clever room but there is one special element that takes it up to the next level of gameplay.

There are physical puzzles, observation, communication, incredibly frustrating ones... The list is endless! We were frantic in here and just managed to collect everything we needed before escaping. For a team of two enthusiasts, there is more than enough to keep you busy for the entire hour.

In short, it's a must-play. Superb.

A really decent, solid lab-themed room with lots of lovely puzzles and some cool physical features that got the adrenaline going!

One really frustrating puzzle that used up a chunk of time but this is a quality offering that we really enjoyed.

Those who have been to Beverley Breakout before will be familiar with the high quality of puzzles on offer and Santa Paws is more of the same; plenty to do but some puzzles you need to work hard for make this room an absolute Christmas joy.

We just had a great time in here, as we always do: Fran is such a delightful host and coming here is always a treat. This is such a cute Christmas room that is craftily put together and we didn't want it to end!

A super Christmas room with stacks to do! There aren't many difficult puzzles but there are a few time consuming ones and combined with a lot of straight forward puzzles, it makes for a fun-filled hour that would work wonderfully for families with children. It's a non-linear design with a whole host of festive nods that makes good use of a relatively small space.

Escape Room Beverley have recently been acquired by Mr E Escape Rooms of Scarborough fame and this is reflected in a nice little touch for those who manage to complete the room. Irregardless of whether you do get everything unlocked, the idea is simply to get 'as many as you can', which is always a winner for Christmas rooms.

A classic theme and a really solid game that we enjoyed trawling through. It's a bit low on lighting in here, which made some of the locks a bit difficult to see and that's always something I find a little bit frustrating but that's entirely personal preference so it might bother some!

Some solid puzzles and a nice bit of communication needed.

A different set up in the sense that it's about solving a crime rather than escaping from the room, there was a central 'evidence base' that helped to measure progress, which we liked. The geography of the room wasn't our favourite feature and we found ourselves getting in each other's way a few times but there were some nice puzzles, including a really neat audio one.

It's a solid room that was fun to play.

A lovely looking room with some fun puzzles and strong on-theme throughout. Lots of what you would expect from a Sweeney Todd escape room, which is just what we hoped for! I feel like we weren't at our best in here, as we missed a couple of observational things and missed a couple of links that we probably should have made more easily, so we needed the odd bit of signposting, which Ryan - the owner and GM - was quick with and didn't give away too much with clues.

A decent room with some nice puzzles (although the audio puzzle that a few reviewers have disliked, I really liked, which just shows how much preferences can vary!) There were a couple of stand-out moments and some enjoyable codes and locks. Ryan, the owner, is super enthusiastic about escape rooms and was really pleasant to talk to.

A gorgeous room with a real variety of puzzles on offer that we just loved. There are so many cute Wonderland nods in here and every puzzle should be cherished because they are all so delightful.

There were some clever little touches that made it a real treat and we were sad to finish this one.

Another great offering from Escapable with this very cute Christmas room. There are some super puzzles in here and, added to the bonus puzzles, there is enough to keep a team of enthusiasts going while being really accessible for families and newbies. The team at Escapable are so pleasant and friendly; this is a lovely festive treat.

There are so many puzzles in here and enthusiasts will love that sense of getting maximum puzzling time; we loved the sheer volume of things to do and that's the real selling point, particularly as a team of two who like to see and do everything.

Saying that, I can see why this would be a really frustrating game for some; you can't go back on yourself to solve something you missed earlier and we were kicking ourselves over one earlier puzzle that we just ran out of time for.

We had a great time in here but I imagine it's a bit of a love-it-or-hate-it one.  There's the odd solution that we found a little obscure but the vast majority are good, with the emphasis on quantity. Good fun and the set looks great.

Escape Hunt have a smart new centre in Edinburgh in the Omni Centre so all the games here are newly-built. Atlantis looks great and has some lovely decor.

If I'm honest, this room just wasn't our kind of room. It would be a fun experience for a family with children, as the puzzles aren't challenging and there are lots of things to do, as opposed to things to solve: we just love tricky puzzles, padlocks and having to work hard to figure something out. I can, however, imagine a family having a really nice time in here, as kids would love all of the handles, levers and role-play on offer.

Our host, Kyle, was delightful and cannot be faulted for his enthusiasm, so the additional star is for him!

A fabulous space room! Our hosts were Gillian and Liv, who were really enthusiastic about our mission into space and who led our room brilliantly.

This was really different from the kind of room we usually do well in and it was easy to see why this is quite tricky for  team of two but we really enjoyed the challenge of having to think differently. We did this room after powering through Secret Lab and Cutting Room and it is so different to both of them. It's a really fun, family friendly one and a great addition to Locked In. 

Really enjoyed the original setting here - we really appreciate when the game is created around the fixtures and fittings of the original building. The theme lends itself to the odd scare but this room is definitely creepy, rather than scary and nothing detracts from the puzzle-solving.

It wasn't as intuitive a game as Secret Lab, which we played first, but there were some quirky puzzles that fitted in well with the theme and a lovely surprise that we weren't expecting (no spoilers)! We like a game that sees us running from place to place and this provided a lot of to-ing and fro-ing. We also saw a couple of not-seen-befores, which is such a delight when you've done quite a few rooms.

Our host, Alex, was a real delight and pleasure to talk to. 

Set in the vetinary college, there are some inventive ways of reusing the original decor and layout of the room. We really enjoyed the decent quantity of puzzles here - logical rooms are always a joy to play and this has logic in spades. A great part of this room is that progress is easy to measure - we felt at ease with the time and free just to focus on our puzzles.

The two of us were quite separate in solving puzzles a lot of the time but it's a divide and conquer kind of room so we expected that. Some strong communication is needed, though!

Another beautiful set from Tulley's and another game that is stuffed full of puzzles. Adam was our GM and he did a great job of only giving us the odd clue when we'd missed something obvious (observation often being our downfall)!

It's a well-trodden theme but one we always really enjoy and this game offered some lovely stylised twists on the usual. Tulley's have the luxury of space so it's a roomy floor plan that helps with that sense of immersion. 

We do like an escape room that has an original, local flavour, which is exactly what this game has. It is much more straightforward than Loot the Lanes or Modrophenia (the two rooms we did earlier in the day) but it has some real gems of puzzles that should be treasured for their artistry.

Don't expect codes and padlocks - this room has some subtle peculiarities that dispense with the need for some of the usual tropes.

Pier Pressure excel when it comes to novel ways GMs communicate with you... The one in this room might be my favourite.

Some great nods to the theme here that we really enjoyed with some lovely puzzles along the way.

There are ways to make this easier for smaller teams but we did the whole game with 10mins left on the clock, so it's do-able as a pair working at a swift pace if you split up and hammer it. There is quite a lot to do, particularly in the first section, so additional pairs of eyes would be a real plus in here.

Great in-role hosting, which seems to be a hallmark of Pier Pressure, and lovely staff in general!

Absolutely gorgeous. Clever, intuitive puzzles, a GM - Emma - who stayed in character and a beautiful set that was such a pleasure to be in.

There was plenty to do as a two so we're very proud of our 45 minute escape time! 

Straight up to my Top 5 rooms ever. Fabulous.

After visiting a number of escape rooms in the area, we had an entire day at Hounds to play all three of their current games, after hearing so many great things about them.

We discussed at length what it is that sets Hounds apart from so many escape centres and it seems like Hounds have come up with a winning formula; firstly, it is not just an escape room. The whole experience is immersive due to the superb GMs, who remain in character throughout. We had Theadora for this game and she was just superb as a performer and as a GM who read our game perfectly. Secondly, it is the intuitive way their games are set up; the puzzles are delightful and often refer back to things seen earlier, making it more of an immersive experience. Finally, the creative use of space and the beautiful attention to detail really help to make the experience as immersive as possible.

Explorer's Diary is a gorgeous game. It's fairly straightforward in terms of difficulty, with some classic escape room tropes... but it is done in a way that makes it feel like a genuine adventure with secrets uncovered along the way. It didn't quite pip Southern Discomfort to the post as my favourite game here but it was one of those games when we stopped every now and again to just enjoy the moment and savour the quality of the game.

Seeing that this is a government test facility, it's probably better that I don't say too much, but Nikolai guided us through beautifully and we loved the storyline in here.

It's another cracking room from Hounds that put the grey matter to the test and that really provided an adrenaline rush.

A fantastic game that employed all of our various skills and was such a blast! Our host was Trixie, who really made it an experience rather than just a game. The set was superb and the puzzles really enjoyable but the end section clinched it as being up there with our favourite games. A lot of effort has been put into making your whole experience at Hounds so enjoyable - the staff were incredibly friendly and the bar is well-stocked!

An enormous set that is crammed with puzzles and is absolutely on point with theming. This one felt like a marathon with just two of us as there was just such a vast quantity of stuff to do so there was a real sense of achievement when we escaped!

It's difficult to describe this without spoiling the wow factor... Expect to see and experience sonething incredible!

Wow! What a stunning setting and an incredible experience. This game has a huge floor plan and so much clever tech that we lost track of where we were at times.

It is stuffed full of puzzles and the challenging aspect of this game is the sheer quantity of how much there is to get through.

One of the rooms literally made me jump up and down with joy: what a gorgeous game.

This is such a fun room and a different take on the 'smash and grab' idea that really gets your heart racing, particularly during the end section, which breaks away from being linear and becomes a go-for-it bonanza of puzzle-solving. We particularly liked this end section but the game is great throughout, with some clever tech and on-theme puzzles.

We managed to get the million with time to spare as a two, which is no mean feat but definitely do-able if you work quickly. Saying that, there is a point where it would be easy to get held up so some additional team members would be an advantage.

A top game that was bags of fun.

This is an absolute beauty of a game. It is stuffed full of delightful puzzles that flow beautifully and that offer a huge variety of different skill challenges. The details are absolutely gorgeous: what a superb set!

We're always blown away when rooms are intuitive and offer very few 'what do we do now?' moments while still providing a challenge and that is exactly what this room does. It's definitely a room for those who appreciate some clever, well-thought out craftsmanship and who love a quirky puzzle in an immersive set.

David (Samuel Pepys) was a fantastic host and an absolute pleasure to chat to afterwards.

What a fantastic WW2-themed room! It's a fairly compact space but absolutely packed with gorgeous puzzles. The detail is superb and it was incredibly immersive. We really enjoyed the additional challenge element (no spoilers) and the combination of physical and logical puzzles really appealed to us.

David and Dan were both excellent hosts - we love it when there's a bit of acting involved!

Enigma rooms always seem to be decorated beautifully and this is no different; it's a wonderful space that just seems to keep on going! There was a lot of impressive tech in here and a whole host of puzzles to keep us going. The immersive element was really strong and we loved the physicality of some of the challenges; overall, it was a really enjoyable adventure that I'd certainly recommend to beginners and enthusiasts alike.

WW2 is a favourite theme of ours so we were really looking forward to this one. The historical references are spot-on and there is a strong narrative throughout the game. We really liked the theatrical elements, as they not only added to the game itself but they made it more fun.

There is plenty to do with some lovely detail scattered throughout.

As usual with Eeek, this game was stacks of fun with oodles of quirky puzzles that were an absolute joy to solve.

There are classic 'magic' tropes in here but with a twist and a delightful storyline; it's also a bit of a nostalgia trip at times, which adds to the enjoyment. We had smiles on our faces the entire time.

It's a game where larger teams would be a benefit but we still managed a respectable 36 mins as a two - to be honest, you'll want to solve all the puzzles in here yourself, so take a smaller team and just enjoy it!

All in all, it was absolutely magic!

This was a fun enough room and we liked that it was pretty and used the space in an inventive way. There were some fun, quirky puzzles and our host was a delight. Saying that, signposting was very loose and the search-heavy element didn't suit us, so it wasn't our kind of style. We enjoyed the final puzzle and liked the additional historical task.

Absolutely packed with puzzles, which is just how we like it. It's a 5 star difficulty rating for a reason, mostly because of the sheer quantity of stuff to do. The design is stunning and we felt so immersed in the storyline. There are some beautifully thought out puzzles in here that we really enjoyed and some gorgeous'wow' moments. 

Chris was a great host; we really look forward to coming to Locked In because the staff are so friendly. 

Another superb game that might even be our favourite in Glasgow. It's a must do!

Great design as always with Locked In Glasgow. A super setting for a retro theme in this big space. Totally do-able as a team of two but a couple more players might make this a bit easier.

There is some great tech in here and we loved some of the more 'vintage' tech as well! Top hosting from Ailsa, who really made our visit here a delight.

Puzzles are on the techy-side as opposed to padlocks and there were a couple of physical puzzles that we loved. Overall, it's a really fun room with just the right 'scare' factor to make the theme work but not detract from gameplay.

We wanted to do a really special room for our 100th and, having done Mr Copplestone a few months ago, we made sure that Percy Pendleton was the room that would take us into triple figures. Without a doubt, Elaine and Mike have created at Escape Quest the most top flight escape room imaginable - it's a puzzle-enthusiast's dream.

Percy Pendleton is the latest installment of the Chapelgate mysteries and is absolutely bursting at the seams with fabulous puzzles that are beautifully crafted and so much fun to do. We loved the quirky storyline, the superb hosting (that felt incredibly personal, as they made our 100th room a really special one) and the outstanding quality of everything in this room. 

Superb.

What a blast! This was a fun, interactive spin on the bank heist trope, sandwiched with a cracking beginning and end. There's a degree of acting involved but nothing too tricky and nothing that takes away from the impetus of the game. This is an incredibly immersive game and we found ourselves really getting into role. Top marks for enjoyment!

Yee-ha! This had a lovely big floor plan and was packed with puzzles that were on-theme and enjoyable. If I could add a couple more puzzles, I would, but purely because we were enjoying it so much that it was disappointing when it ended! We love physical puzzles and there were quite a few of these. We also enjoyed some of the twists on some of the usual puzzles we see in escape rooms.

There were no 'what do we do now?' moments because it's all quite instinctive so flowed nicely. A team of two was the perfect number, as it meant we both got to work on everything without feeling crowded.