Escape games are taking the UK by storm, as friends and workmates look for different ways to socialise.

Turning detective for the night, an escape game sets up a scenario and has you look for clues to make your way back out of the locked room.

At The Grove in Battersea, mystery-solvers can try their hand at the Do Stuff 'Hostage Hideout', where they get one hour to free the hostages from a shopping centre.

August 6: Can you get out of the Hostage Hideout? Escape game launched at Battersea pub

Reporters Ben Weich, George Odling, Nathan Weich and Rebecca Taylor gave it a shot, putting their collective puzzle solving skill to the ultimate test.

The scene is set outside the room, where we find out that we will be entering a shopping centre where several people have been taken hostage.

We are locked in a changing room and shown a short news broadcast before we get to work hunting clues.

We have been warned there are red herrings along the way, and also given hints as to how we make sure we do not repeat clues and shown the key we are ultimately looking for to help us get the hostages out.

Hosts Mabel Chaces and Meesh Gemmell keep in touch with us via a walkie-talkie through the game and watch us to make sure we do not go too far off track.

For four keen journalists, we got off to a slow start but the second half of the game flowed much more for us as we got into the swing of the clue style and solved the problems quicker.

We saved the hostages with two and a half minutes to spare, a fairly good attempt and toward the top of the leaderboard on display at the pub.

Wandsworth Times:

Friends Ms Chaces and Ms Gemmell set up Do Stuff in mid-June.

Earlier in the year, they had done several escape games for Ms Chaces' 30th birthday celebration and caught the bug for the trend.

Now, running their own, they have seen several teams come in to try out their Hostage Hideout, and are continually developing the game with new clues and new tactics.

The games are developed from the end, with Ms Chaces and Ms Gemmell knowing how the game will end before they know how to piece the clues together to begin it.

Ms Gemmell said: “The beauty of escape games are their possibilities. Each one is unique and each team will have a different experience playing dependant on their personalities – it is a great thing to experience.”

Games cost between £80 and £100 per team and the games is suitable for ages 12 and above. Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult.