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Fringe Review: Adelaide Escape Hunt: Spy on the Beach

On 1 December 1948, a fully-clothed man was discovered washed up on Brighton Beach. You have 1 hour to discover his secret before the Russian police arrive.

Presented by Adelaide Escape Hunt
Reviewed 21 February 2017

Spy on the Beach is one of three escape rooms offered by Adelaide Escape Hunt on Twin Street in the city, although it’s their only one on offer for the Adelaide Fringe. The other two rooms remain in operation if booked directly with the company.

With a distinctly South Australian flavour, the premise of Spy on the Beach is simple but the game is not! On 1 December 1948, a fully-clothed man was discovered washed up on Brighton Beach. From that factual event, you enter the game to discover if he was a Russian spy. You have an hour to discover his secret and escape before the Russian police arrive and, potentially, destroy critical evidence.

The beach setting is deceptively simple in appearance but as you begin to uncover clues and solve puzzles to reveal the final solution, it quickly becomes evident that looks can be deceiving. I’ll give you no clues here except to say it’s a good one to start with if you’ve not tried an Escape Room before.

The staff of Adelaide Escape Hunt are consistently some of the most hospitable in the industry and they remain just an intercom buzzer away if you require a clue during the game. Those put off by the thought of being locked in a room, need not fear: the actual door remains unlocked for safety reasons, so you can walk out at any time if the need arises.

Adelaide Escape Hunt offers a bar service and lounge to complement the experience, although the games are such that you’d be wise to enter with a clear head and celebrate later if you’re smart enough to beat the clock. It’s a mind-bending hour of entertainment that involves teamwork, good communication between the players, and rattling your noggin to shake lose those cobwebs and get thinking.

The game is hard, but not impossibly so. There’s a good mix of easy and difficult puzzles, with lots of red herrings to throw you off track. Adelaide Escape Hunt rates Spy on the Beach as a medium-skill game. I’d have to agree. It’s an immensely enjoyable challenge, even more so if you escape… which we did. Whoo-hoo!

Reviewed by Rod Lewis
Twitter: @StrtegicRetweet

Rating out of 5:  5

Venue:  Adelaide Escape Hunt Rooms & Bar, 133 Rundle Mall, Level 3, Adelaide
Season:  until 19 March 2017
Duration:  75 minutes
Tickets:  $30 all tickets
Bookings:  FringeTix, or at the venue if not sold out

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