Present, in December 2023, were: The Ant, Aunty Ant, Jack-Jack

What does Avast actually mean? Everyone knows the word and it is synonymous with the traditional swashbuckling pirate image – it is surprisingly difficult to say out loud without sticking a “me hearties” on the end of it (maybe that’s a generational thing, or might just be me). Don’t actually know the literal meaning though. Mental note to look it up before I finish this review.

Escapable in Wakefield is building a terrific reputation, with The Great Loudini being voted one of the highest rated UK games in the 2023 TERPECA awards. It is fair to say that Avast! isn’t their best-known room, but we were driving past their door and were keen to visit and this was the only game that timings aligned for.

I do like a pirate game though. I’d previously moaned that there weren’t many decent ones around, despite the genre being ideally suited to Escape Rooms, but since then we’ve played several super ones, and this was our second high seas galleon of the fortnight.

This is a cute, if fairly standard, set, with immersion helped by a themed door and enthusiastic briefing. We also have the joy of an on-theme hint system, in the form of Gary the parrot, who was a hilarious and occasionally helpful presence in the game. We had Jack-Jack in tow, who was a little disappointed at the absence of a comfy bunk or hammock, but that’s just him.

Avast! is quite a kid-friendly room overall – no bloodcurdling pirate torture or cursed nautical peril. There were plenty of things Jack-Jack could help with and lots of nice props to interact with. Some of the puzzles are more challenging, but as usual we got most stumped on a simple search-and-count. Generally, it is a good starting game for youngsters (with Gary’s assistance) but there was plenty in there to entertain us adults too.

Mostly non-linear, it is nevertheless quite a traditional room with standard padlocks and no huge twists or gimmicks. But it is a rock-solid game with smooth flow and a lovely sense of humour that made it really enjoyable to play. We are very much looking forward to a return visit to experience the rest of their exciting roster.

• Storyline: Get the treasure.
• Theming and Set: Not sure we’re transported back to a 1663 ship, but pirate-y enough and all well-made .
• Searching: Enough for kids to get involved with.
• Puzzles: Lots to do and nicely on theme, good range of difficulty.
• Physicality: Not an issue, although has a warning for smoke.
• Scare factor: A safe pirate experience, although see above.
• Company Age Guidance: “8+. There must be at least one person aged 25+ for every 4 individuals aged 0-17 in the room.”
• Age suitability: Just turned 9 Jack-Jack was fine in here, but a group of youngsters would need help with some of the puzzles.

Escapable website

(Apparently “Avast” means “stop what you are doing”. Who knew?)