Escape Rooms - a new form of cerebral entertainment in Budapest
If you're an aspiring amateur detective or a would-be escape artists, look no further than Budapest.
A series of Escape Rooms have been set up in the Hungarian capital to test people's problem solving abilities.
It gives people a chance to escape everyday life, by putting them in unfamiliar situations.
Behind bars in an unknown cell - not the usual place many expect to find themselves in.
But groups of people in Hungary are choosing to spend time in locations like this, so they can work out how to escape.
Escape Rooms are gaining popularity among all ages in Budapest, a test of skill and problem solving against the clock.
You may find yourself trapped in a prison cell, a bank in the Wild West, or even a mental hospital.
The Trap Factory is a former aid raid shelter now has five escape rooms.
Here, a group enters the Prison Room and has 60 minutes to solve a series of clues and work out how to escape.
Mugshots of prisoners look down at the team as they set about their challenge.
We have some really unique rooms, like having to escape from jail, a crime has to be solved in Miss Marple's room and we have a room where the riddles have to be solved in the presence of a car. What awaits the players in the rooms are keys, locks and padlocks and tasks of logic, explains manager Fora Horvath.
Doors are unlocked to many unfamiliar places, like a 1930s London sitting room.
It's all about brain over brawn, but each room is equipped with a panic button in case visitors become overwhelmed.
We've had some players who said they were claustrophobic and did not think they could complete the challenges and were uncertain about going in or staying out. We always advise them to go inside and to try it out, Horvath says.
Many of the rooms are equipped with cameras so assistants can follow a team's progress and offer hints on walkie-talkies if they need help.
It was quite difficult and it all depended on teamwork. If you distribute the tasks and not everyone does the same thing, the chances of escaping are good, says one visitor to the Trap Factory, Balazs Gyongyosi.
Elsewhere, similar escape plans are being hatched.
At Sweet Escape, in a couple of cellars near downtown Budapest, the escape rooms are less intimidating, providing a more family-friendly day out.
The essence of the escape rooms is to remove people from their grey everyday life and put them in an environment where they can have experiences they can't get anywhere else, like looking for the recipe of never-ending chocolate, robbing a bank or searching for the lost diamond, says Dora Somogyi, from Sweet Escape.
Somogyi says that teamwork is paramount when it comes to escaping. Visitors have to work together to solve the puzzles, which in turn helps to develop logic skills and logical thinking.
Everyone was looking for something they could recognise and solve. It was easier for the children than for me because they were a bit more resourceful than I was, says Gyongyi Mihaly, who went to Sweet Escape with her family.
Success rates are surprisingly low for teams who decide not to ask for help, with less than 25 percent managing to find their way out of most rooms on their own.
Still, the goal is for everyone to have a good time, so even those unable to solve all the puzzles can find some comfort in at least partial success.
It costs a team between 30 and 40 euros (US$38 and $51) for the one-hour activity.
Escape rooms are increasingly being used by companies for team-building exercises.
Some Hungarian escape room companies are now setting franchises across Europe, including Barcelona, Madrid, Berlin, Vienna and Bucharest.
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