Crane ManorClue IQEscape roomIRLMy husband and I completed this room with very little time leftover. We got hung up using one of the props incorrectly, but the Game Master didn't let us spend too long making such a dumb mistake. This room starts as a hallway but gradually expands to different sections of "the manor" and ends up covering a large area of space. It would be helpful to have a medium sized group so that you can speak to eachother from different rooms, without overcrowding in the beginning. The scary elements were not in play the whole time, or in every room. I don't enjoy being scared so I liked that I could step into less scary zones to take a breath when I started feeling anxious. I don't think it would make a good first room, but it is absolutely worth doing.
ExcaliburClue IQEscape roomIRLThis was a fantastically built/decorated room, and the variety of puzzles within the room was good, but I felt that we had done similar puzzles in other rooms here. The props were AMAZING. The Game Master was amazing. But we finished as a group of 2 in only half the alloted time, having only used 1 clue (which we figured out riiiight after we asked for it). I think it would be best as a first or second room at this location OR would be good if you haven't done a room here in a while.
BlitzkriegClue IQEscape roomIRLI'm far from a war buff, but I loved this room. The puzzles were tricky, there was a good amount of back and forth between rooms and it was very immersive. My husband and I completed the room with about 10 minutes left, without hints. We felt appropriately challenged the whole time, and this is the only room we didn't get stuck on something dumb. The pacing was fantastic as well. Difficult portions were split up well between simplier puzzles and locating items, so it always felt like we were moving forward. It made for an enjoyable experience and I have recommended it to friends.
Operation Jingle BellsClue IQEscape roomIRLThis was our first ever escape room. My husband and I escaped with just a few minutes remaining, and it was the perfect jumping off point for us to really get into escape rooms. There was a good variety of puzzles throughout the room. I liked the "U" shaped design for larger groups. Everyone should have enough room and have a chance to find clues. Of all the rooms at Clue IQ , I think this one was best suited for families and beginners.
The CarnivalEscape This FrederickEscape roomIRLGreat family room. Good mix of dexterity and logic. Lots of written clues so having someone who can read in a clear tone would help keep things flowing... And someone who can play (not rigged) carnival games.
Cell Block 1Escape This FrederickEscape roomIRL𓆜𓋘𓄁 𓊛𓇙𓋸𓌤𓌥 𓌦 𓅐𓆢 𓆣 𓀉𓆤 𓆥 𓅑𓆘 𓆙 𓅒𓄙 𓄚 𓄛 𓅓𓃺 𓃻 𓅔 𓅕 𓃕 𓃖 𓃗 𓎷 𓄁𓎸𓅖 𓅽 𓅾 𓅿𓅗 𓅘 𓇆 𓇇𓅙 𓅚 𓁵 𓁶𓂵 𓂶𓃝𓋲 𓋳𓀬 𓅛𓁃 𓂺𓅜 �𓅝𓃄 �𓄁𓅞𓂙 𓅟𓂿 𓆜𓋘𓄁 𓊛𓇙𓋸𓌤𓌥 𓌦 𓅐𓆢 𓆣 𓀉𓆤 𓆥 𓅑𓆘 𓆙 𓅒𓄙 𓄚 𓄛 𓅓𓃺 𓃻 𓅔 𓅕 𓃕 𓃖 𓃗 𓎷 𓄁𓎸𓅖 𓅽 𓅾 𓅿𓅗 𓅘 𓇆 𓇇𓅙 𓅚 𓁵 𓁶𓂵 𓂶𓃝𓋲 𓋳𓀬 𓅛𓁃 𓂺𓅜 𓂨𓅝𓃄 𓄁𓅞𓂙 𓅟𓂿This review contains spoilers.Unscramble𓀗
HauntedEscape This FrederickEscape roomIRLHusband and I completed with time to spare... but we were on our A-game and we used all 3 clues. This is my current favorite room in Frederick. It was very well thought out and researched. The scary element had me jumping (but I'm a huge wuss!) but they didn't distract or prevent me from making progress. The lights never stayed out for long (and it wasn't ever pitch black). The swinging chandelier was a fun touch. We struggled with one of the decoding tasks and completely overlooked a clue given near the beginning until we were near the end.
Tyrannosolveus RexSurelocked InEscape roomIRLMy husband and I completed this room with seconds to spare. I think this game has good bones (no pun intended). I liked the mix of logic and dexterity challanges. There was definitely a wow factor to the ending, and number of unique elements we haven't encountered before. That said, the negatives were enough for an underwhelming experience overall. I strongly dislike having clues given by an in-person Game Master visit. Having someone enter and exit the room interrupted the flow. I want to give our Game Master credit for effort, I just didn't buy that they were a character and not an employee. I also HATED that we started in the dark with only 1 flashlight. It meant we had to take turns working until we got the lights on and it made for a boring start. We spent nearly 15 minutes stuck because a door that was supposed to slide open was jammed in the closed position. We just assumed we needed another component to unlock it and I felt like the Game Master should have been paying enough attention to be aware that we weren't missing anything and the game was faulty. There was SO much crawling between rooms. A larger group might limit this, but for two people it felt constant. The final task didn't work. We won.... except the sensors didn't recognize that and the Game Master had to come fiddle with things to make it work, which made the big reveal less impactful. I wouldn't recommend Surelocked In based on this room, but it won't prevent us from trying another room before formulating an opinion.
ConfinementRed Door Escape Room - GaithersburgEscape roomIRLThis was our first "chain" escape room experience. We've done 9 other rooms and I was expecting a higher production value out of a company with locations around the world. They did seem popular though. The lobby was jam packed with groups on a weekday afternoon and it seemed to be a good time all around. I did notice most groups had several kids in them. After playing what is listed as their hardest room, I would agree that this is probably a great place to bring your kids for an all ages activity. We kept getting hung up thinking there was more to each puzzle or clue. We'd be looking for the next part or the codex, not realizing that we were just meant to count something or unscramble a word. I would recommend this room to players who haven't done many escape rooms in the past.
Mob BossEscape This FrederickEscape roomIRLWe ran out of time on the final clue which makes this the only room we haven't beat, but the Game Master let us finish up because we were so close and they didn't need to turn over the room quickly. Most of the puzzles were incredibly fun. I loved having a white board to write on as we translated and decoded. There were a few items I expected to play larger roles than they did and that was slightly confusing. This was not a favorite room of mine. The theme wasn't for me, and I loathe being made to do even simple math when I'm racing against time.... but it is still a fantastic room. One thing I love about Escape This is that they DO NOT repeat puzzles room to room which means you have to be prepared for really creative clues.
