Where’s the evidence? (Lockdown Escape Rooms)
Entertainment, Hillcrest

Weird Science

By Frank Sabatini Jr.

We’re fans of all kinds of science, no matter how far out. That would include a challenging theme presented in the newish Science Room at Lockdown Escape Rooms in Hillcrest.

From a selection of four different escape rooms, the Science Room ranks as the most difficult. It is tailored ideally for eight to 10 people, who are collectively given 60 minutes to crack codes and find clues that will help them successfully break loose, and hopefully come away with sharpened minds.

The premise of this particular project is medical-related. The room is a fictional laboratory disguised as a doctor’s office, where a certain Dr. Noel How has been providing professional athletes with performance-enhancing drugs. Despite the efforts of an imaginary journalist who has been investigating the situation to no avail, a hot tip has just come in from a whistleblower. Dr. How is aware of the leak, and he’s en route to the office to destroy the evidence. Citizen scientists (you and your peers) must gather the incriminating data before the doc arrives.

“Easier said than done,” said Mission Hills resident Marcia Dunn, who happens to work in the biomedical field. Without revealing the series of clues that led to a “win,” she noted that it took her group 52 minutes to complete the task and ultimately escape the room.

We’re told that the success rate for completing the Science Room is only 10 percent, which is far below the rates for navigating through the facility’s other themed rooms: Western, Voodoo and Medieval.

Panic-prone types need not fear about becoming trapped in any of the rooms. Staffers are on hand to provide fast exits in case of emergencies or anxiety attacks.

For availability and reservations, visit the website.