Escape Room: The Game

identitygames.com

The Dutch publisher Identity Games is the one that put hardware in the box. The Chrono Decoder is a battery powered timer with four key slots: you insert the keys in the order you worked out, and the unit counts down sixty minutes, then accepts or rejects the code with light and sound. The starter set comes with several rooms, and dozens of expansions, including two player and family versions, run on the same decoder.

Buy the base box once and every later adventure costs less, which is the sensible way into this hobby for a household that plays often. Batteries are on you, the plastic keys are fiddly, and puzzle quality across the expansion catalogue swings from sharp to lazy. It suits noisy groups who want a ticking device on the table; quiet card puzzlers will find the gadget more distracting than useful.