GUELPH — Glenn Roberts and Shawn Johnson want to "lock" you in a room, confuse, confound and perhaps frustrate you before letting you out an hour later … all in the name of fun.

The two Guelph men have started Fantescapes, what is believed to be Guelph's first foray into the realm of escape rooms, a brain-fuelled fantasy activity that sees groups of between two and six people locked (theoretically) in a themed room with the goal being to solve as many clues as possible before either earning their way out early or being let out after 60 minutes.

"Basically, you're guided into a room and closed in. Scattered around the room are clues, quizzes and puzzles and you have to start looking and investigating things. Gathering clues, eventually making connections," Roberts said. "Some of the clues are linear, where you have to progress, others aren't."

Usually the goal of an escape room is to try and get out as quickly as possible within the one-hour limit. Roberts and Johnson tweaked theirs so you have the choice of trying to earn as many points, earned by solving clues, as possible within the time limit.

"The more you solve, the better your score," Johnson said.

"You want it to be hard enough that smart people find it challenging, but you don't want it to be too difficult that people say 'No way I could do this,'" Roberts said.

Escape rooms are not a particularly new concept, but they are relatively new to the area.

Originally started as online computer games with the same goal, they moved into real life about 10 years ago. After becoming popular in Eastern Europe, then Asia, they made their way to North America.

Johnson estimates there are 45 or so in Toronto, with others popping up in Niagara Falls and Kitchener.

Roberts said he and Johnson, who previously started the annual Faery Fest's Enchanted Ground in Guelph, came up with the idea of starting one in Guelph last summer.