I was out with half of Team King today on a Will Breaker Street Hunt to crack codes and get our hands on Uncle’s fortune that he left in his will – the perfect bonus to get out of this cost of living crisis, writes Michael Holland.
To find the fortune you and your team have to follow maps sent to your phones where answers to clues can be found in the physical surroundings, or by solving mathematical puzzles, with each answer taking you closer and closer to the money – and all against the clock.
Overseeing the Street Hunt is Tony and Annaliza, a Herne Hill couple who have devised this event that gets you out and about, getting exercise and going down streets and alleyways that lead to places you never knew were there.
Our first mission was to liaise with Eddie near Holborn. We had already sent a selfie so he could recognise us, and before long a strange-looking character sidled up beside us to ask out of the corner of his mouth, ‘Can I help you with some directions?’, which I thought was a bit obvious for someone we had been informed worked for MI6. I sussed him out straight away.
‘Yes, Eddie,’ I said. ‘We know who you are and just need for you to tell us where to go now to claim that will.’
‘I don’t know about any will,’ came the unexpected reply. ‘I thought you were lost.’
‘Don’t mess about, Ed, we’re running out of time here, mate. What are you going to do to help us move forward with the mission?’
‘I have no idea what you are talking about,’ said the man who was evidently not Eddie but a good Samaritan trying to help two lost souls!
Our phones buzzed and it was the real Eddie letting us know where to head for next, and to watch out as we could be followed by other people after the dead man’s fortune. I delegated Nina as our lookout.
And so it goes on, at each rendezvous spot, there is a clue for you to find and answer a question on it, a numerical quiz that unlocks another piece of the mystery, while all the time being warned to keep our eyes peeled and trust no one.
At one point near the British Museum sirens got closer and closer until eventually ambulances and police vans screeched to a halt and blocked off both ends of a small turning. Officers leapt out and began ushering pedestrians away from the scene while the paramedics began CPR on someone on the floor outside a restaurant. I told Nina how impressed I was with the work that had gone into this game and was promptly told by her and a large constable that this was a real emergency and we needed to vacate the area…
Will Breaker is a Street Hunt game for all the family. The youngsters can practise their map-reading skills, their maths skills, their finding the clues skills, and can feel good when they show the grown-ups how to do it.
Of course, if you’re stuck there is help to be gleaned from Con Fidential, Eve Stropper and the numerous other agents we dealt with on the way, and you can negotiate extra time if you need it. Plus, you get graded at the end. I was quite pleased with my Bronze until Nina’s result came through and she claimed bragging rights with a Silver!
For us, it was a good walk, a great feeling when you worked out the answers and quite exciting when you know you’ve only got so long to get somewhere, seek out a solution and move on to the next stage. But we also got to actually look at architecture more than we would if we were merely walking around Bloomsbury and Theatreland; we discovered facts that we didn’t know, and saw places that we had never seen before, places hidden in plain sight in the middle of central London. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Perhaps it is the best fun you can have on two feet.
£16.50 per person.
Check out the website: www.streethuntgames.com
