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A new immersive take on hit nineties television show The Crystal Maze is set to open near Angel on Tuesday March 15, and the Standard were lucky enough to enjoy a taster of what’s in store.

Faithful to the original Channel Four programme, which ran for six series from 1990 to 1995, visitors, in teams of eight, will work their way through games in four zones – Future, Medieval, Aztec and Industrial – completing a series of timed challenges before heading to the famous Dome itself.

Naturally, teams (kitted out in matching bomber jackets, in fetching shades of green, blue and safety orange) are expected to frantically dash between each game, though sadly neither original munificent maze master Richard O’Brien or his replacement, Ed Tudor-Pole, are on hand to cryptically rally everyone on. Still, each team is given their own chaperone, who all maintain a suitable air of eccentricity.

The experience runs for around 90 minutes. Teams are presented with tasks, categorised either as a Mystery, Skilled, Mental or Physical trial. Though, in honesty, there appears to be little distinction between each type, all represent enough of a tricksy challenge to be terrifcally enjoyable, and each experience is markedly different from the next. Hidden amongst the games are treasure chests containing tokens which win visitors a glass of fizz after the game, laid on by the Maze's official sponsor, Freixenet.

The zones, too, are distinct from each other: the Aztec is brushed with sand, the Industrial dripping with rust, the Medieval guarded by gate-keepers and the Future bleakly white.

In total, there are 16 crystals to be claimed and guides put in admirable effort in bringing out each team member's inner-child, and provide a mixture of helpful clues and disarming riddles. As the clock ticks down, the pressure builds up: there is much clapping and cheering, lots of running and the quick realisation that no-one is quite as fit as they would like to be.

It ends with a team roar of ‘Start the Fans’ – of course it does – and golden tickets frantically scrabbled for in the Crystal Dome. It is, in effect, around a minute constant star jumps, but with an added sense of nostalgia.

The experience took three months to design and another three months to build, made possible with a crowd-funding campaign launched by Ben Hodges, 29, Dean Rodgers, 25, and Tom Lionetti-Maguire, 28, which raised £930,000. Those who contributed to the campaign will be among the first to head the event when it opens.

The Crystal Maze will run from March 15. Over 18s only. Tickets are on sale at the-crystal-maze.com, at £50 for a weekday and £60 for weekends, plus booking fee / 08448718805

Follow David Ellis on Twitter @dvh_ellis

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