The Game Is Now Escape Room

There is no better place to immerse yourself in all things Sherlock than London, and no better way to immerse yourself than a trip to the #TheGameIsNow escape room, fronted by Doyle's Opticians. As a long-term fanatic of the show (and prior to that, a fan of the books), I've been following the news and stories relating to this experience since before it was announced, and I'm so honoured to have been able to attend on the final night of the press week.

(A/N: apparently Steven Moffat and Sue Vertue were there tonight, but we missed them by about 20 minutes! Typical luck, eh?)

Given the highly classified nature of the work you will do as an operative for The Network, I can only reveal so many details, but I assure you that if you have ever wanted to be a part of the show, this is the closest you could get without actually being on the show. The scale of the production is incredible - you truly are are within and interacting with the world of Sherlock. The challenges, set by Moriarty himself (is he dead? did you miss him?) vary in levels of difficulty, some of which you may need a helping hand - or text - from Sherlock to solve. But it's high stakes throughout. No word of a lie: my legs were literally trembling from adrenaline in the final problem, and I didn't come off that high for a good few hours at least. I'm not entirely convinced I've come down from it at all yet as I write this - I can see why Sherlock goes in for this sort of thing. (Although he gets to swan about looking all cool with his cheekbones and his collar turned up, and I just started crying because I got handed a memory stick - we handle the adrenaline of a case solved at the last second a bit differently).

And it truly was the very last second for my team - we finished the game exactly on the 60.00 minute mark, not a fraction of a second too early or too late. Sherlock called us academics, pointing out how we breezed through the hard puzzles and were stumped by the easy. (What can we say? We're just used to a better class of criminal)! The Network agents said I wore my deerstalker better than Sherlock wore his, and said my teammate Jackie looked strangely familiar...

After the debriefing following the successful completion of the case, we ed our friends from another team in The Mind Palace Bar, which was brilliantly decorated with comfortable furniture, portraits of various scenes from the show and others unseen, and wallpaper from 221B (including the painstakingly hand-painted ornate gold and red from the living room which makes me weep, and the classic green, white and browns of the patterned wallpaper!). The cocktails were named after the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, and the staff were absolutely lovely and accommodating (even for awkward little me, who asked for a cup of tea in Proper British Fashion).

Honestly though, words cannot truly describe playing The Game Is Now. One of the taglines is "an immersive experience like no other", and that really is the closest you can get. You take the choice to step into the world of Sherlock Holmes, and they welcome you in with open arms. I've had some extended hiatus blues over the lack of Sherlock in recent months, but this has without a doubt tossed kindling on the embers and brought the flames of fandom back in full force. A casual fan will have an enjoyable day out with their friends. But for those of us who love Sherlock wholeheartedly, it is an experience we won't ever forget.

I can't believe how lucky I am to have been able to go, and I cannot recommend it highly enough, whether you're a hardcore fanatic or just know Sherlock Holmes as the detective with the funny hat. I wish I could go back again and again!