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Everything you need to know about Jumble, the UAE's first interactive maze

Jumble, which pegs itself as an indoor maze full of twists, turns and hang-out rooms, recently opened its doors to the public. Team WKND put their minds to the test to see if they can find their way out

I love brainteasers of any kind. Give me a good crossword puzzle and I'll probably be hooked for hours. So, when escape rooms started opening across the UAE in 2014, to say I was excited is something of an understatement. Well, escape rooms are still high on my list of favourite UAE activities - but it looks like they now have competition.
Jumble has recently been making waves so team WKND decided to give it a whirl so we can see what the fuss is all about. The 3,500sqm activity space is a maze of brightly coloured doors and brick walls, and it was buzzing with activity (shouts from players, clearly enjoying themselves, can be heard from time to time). Don't worry about getting lost; the helpful staff will lead the way and have you fitted with special wristbands that do everything from noting your name and team name, to opening your locker door (where your stuff is safely stowed away). Are you ready to play?
Jumble has a number of themed rooms, brimming with both physical and mental challenges which you have to solve in teams of three to six. Finish those. and you get to enter another room, with its own set of rules and puzzles. And so on it goes. It's actually not too different from an escape room, except that puzzles here are time-sensitive - don't expect the luxury of an hour. Another difference? Fail to solve a puzzle in time and you have to leave and enter the first room all over again, quite a shift from escape rooms where you're literally locked in until you solve the mystery.
Perhaps sensing our inclination towards more mental challenges, a staff member led us to a room. that turned out to be an impressive-looking library. We managed to solve the riddle, which got us to the next room where another challenge awaited. A trickier one at that, and much time was spent as we, by trial and error, attempted to solve it. No secrets - it's harder than it looks and more than a little frustrating, especially since we had to leave the room every time we lost the challenge. There was talk of giving up. But that just made it sweeter when we finally cracked the code to enter the next room. Alas, that's when our clock ran and our journey for the day ended, although, according to the staff, we weren't too far from the finish line. Word to the wise: observe your surroundings and look for clues. Also, use time spent outside to plan strategy.
Luckily. the staff also took some time to show us some of the other rooms, and suffice it to say that there's something for everyone. Some rooms require pretty fit players. Some are just plain fun. Some are a little too interactive. All of them will make you lose track of time - but in a very good way indeed. So, choose wisely. and let the games begin.