However, a way does exist such that you can experience the frantic fun to be had on a trip around the time zones without appearing on the show itself. It's called hiring the maze out for corporate hospitality; either become a flash top executive or shell out (allegedly) 400 pounds per player! Yipe. There is a slightly more realistic option, and it's all due to top enterpreneurs Cyberdrome Operations Ltd. Cyberdrome comes from the Greek; chi-upsilon-beta-epsilon-rho, chyber, means self-governing and delta- rho-omega-mu-eta, dromer (pronounced drome-air), means track. So a cyberdrome would probably be the equivalent of a racecourse where the horses have to do something considerably more involved than run around a track. Bear that in mind - it's a good image to have in your head...
If you have ever seen the TV show, you can surely imagine the difficulties of an exact replica for the public. The set is as large as 3 football pitches, involves about 200 000 litres of water, and the 50 games available are reset for each team coming through the Maze. Also there are (not on TV but certainly so during filming) appreciable gaps after each team goes through the Dome to count the silver and gold tokens posted, and between games (needing to change camera positions and the like). Lastly it would be decidedly poor value for money for a player who got locked in during his first game and was not bought back at all by the rest of the team.
So what Cyberdrome have done is essentially a video version of the Crystal Maze. There is no restriction on needing a team of six; teams can have from two to six players. The Maze building itself is substantially smaller but intricately detailed and full of secret passages and hidden doorways. There is no delay between playing the Dome game and learning your score (I'll say more about the Dome later). You don't actually go into cells for the games with the risk of someone locking you in for taking too long, sentencing you to boredom until rescue occurs, and there's no water to soak you. However, you (generally) can't win prizes!
Once a team pays to play their game (which lasts about 30-40 minutes) they are given an identity card, for use in that game only. They then go around the building to the central control and login area, and can use their card to pick a name to identify their team (something like "Dream Team", "Nerve Axis", "Ravers" or whatever) and the level of difficulty of their game. They then are directed by the computer which of the many (typically 20-25) games to play and where to go in the arena to find the game. The actual logistics of the game does vary from site to site considerably; some sites have three zones, others four (and note that each zone is decorated appropriately for its theme, the sets are very evocative of the appropriate zone). Some sites have lots of stairs to climb, tunnels and slides to negotiate and ropes to use; others are rather more on the flat. As well as lots of games played on terminals, there are some physical games which work in the same way; just instead of moving things around on a screen, you're dealing with real-life, physical objects in front of you.
The team then dashes off around the arena to find the terminal on which to play their game. It can be quite well hidden (behind a pillar, up a flight of stairs, through a door) but accurate directions are provided and staff will help if you're lost. They then swipe their card through some sort of card reader, depending on the site, to prove that they have arrived. Merlin the computerised "Maze Master" then provides instructions for the game they are about to play, both written on the screen and spoken by the human voice of Martin Jarvis. The team pick a member to play the game, who goes to a second terminal physically separated from the rest of the team. If they're playing a physical game, the player is sent around to the other room or place containing the obstacle or task.
The player then plays the game, the team shout advice - helpful or otherwise - and can choose when the player "runs out of the cell" as in the TV show. If the game is won, a time crystal is earned. If the game is not won but not quit before the time limit expires, which would lead to a lock-in in the TV series, a crystal already earned is lost by the team. (In effect, someone is locked in but are immediately and without choice bought out.) This is the thing that most teams forget to do, which results in a lot of needless lock-ins; if time is running low, or you feel that you won't be able to complete the task, then there's no penalty at all for pressing the QUIT button and moving on to the next game.
After this, the team rush round to the next game, which may be in another zone, requiring a run to the other side of the site, and so on until their time runs out. At this point, they take the time crystals they have earned (not physically! Time crystals only exist as images on the screen) to the Crystal Dome. There are no actual tokens blown about by fans in the Dome, but dozens of buttons, round and about two inches in diameter, of different colours on the walls. After one last card swipe, the time crystals earned are turned into time spent trying to press gold token buttons.
The buttons flash on and off at random for perhaps 2 or 3 seconds per flash, to represent the fact that not all tokens are within reach at the same time. If you hit a button which is 'lit' this acts as a gold token. Hitting any button which is not 'lit' will act as a silver token. If you are playing in 'expert' or 'fiendish' levels then all of the lights will go out and a siren will start. You then have to press two of the small 'panic' buttons at the bottom of the dome to restart them.
Final score is number of gold token buttons hit less number of silver token buttons hit, in the time earned with time crystals; just like the Real Thing. The object is to get as high a score as possible.
And that is a very dry description of what the Cyberdrome Crystal Maze is all about. Why I think it is so good is because it accurately captures the manic, rushed, hasty feel of the TV show, whilst having games that are enjoyable to play and pitched generally at a challenging level of difficulty. Not only is there mental effort, to work out how to complete the games and win crystals, there is the rush from one game to the next in order to fit more games in (to give more chances to win more crystals). And in the Dome itself, the atmosphere is so race-against-time, it's unlike any other activity readily available - to my knowledge.
There are a couple of differences between show & this concerning the crystals won themselves. In the show five seconds in the dome are earned for each crystal won; in this, you get fifteen seconds irrespective of crystals won plus only three seconds per crystal. So a team who ends up with the remarkable sum of zero crystals still gets fifteen seconds of activity to get any sort of actual score.
A team that fancies itself to do well in the crystal-garnering games can elect at the start to play at the "Expert" level of difficulty which does lead to a harder game with less time allowed before crystal loss. However, instead of winning one crystal for success in a game, they can win up to three for a particularly quick performance. That said, not quitting games before the time runs out leads to a deduction of not one crystal but three. A particularly gifted team can play on "Fiendish" level which is much faster and much harder but allows six crystals per game to be won or lost.
There are five Cyberdrome Crystal Maze sites worldwide with many more to come all around the globe; here are the physical locations and details of prices at each one. They are generally open through most of the day at weekends, and some of the day on week days; during holiday periods, this time period may be extended.
Here are the addresses and prices of the mazes :
CM1 ---This was situated for several years at...
The Sandcastle South Promenade Blackpool FY4 1BB 01253 408061 Four pounds per player, or 12 pounds 50 for two adults and two children. The Sandcastle in Blackppol is situated next to the South Pier. People know it as the Pleasure Beach end of the Golden Mile, as opposed to the Blackpool Tower end. It's easily identifiable by the large yellow pentagonal (flat-diamond-shaped) crystal outside....but has now sadly recently closed.
CM2 --- The Superbowl Auckland Road Southampton SO1 4PQ 01703 511511 2 pounds 10 off peak; 3.20 peak. CM3 --- The Superbowl St Cloud Way Maidenhead Berks. SL6 8DW 01628 783355 As above. CM4 --- The Canaston Bowl Canaston Bridge Narberth Pembrokeshire SA67 8DD 01834 891622 Three pounds 60 pence per player. CM5 --- Dynalex Centre Mycal Greenhill Mall Kuwana MIE 511 Japan 0081 594 246230 About 700 yen for a game. CM6 ___ This is opening in Coventry at the end of February. More info to come! There are plans for futher Cyberdrome Crystal Maze centres all around the world, to open in the years to come...Hurrah!
I am of the opinion that general tips never hurt, so here are a couple of mine. To an extent, they're site-specific, and I've only ever played at the Blackpool Maze myself. They may still be of use or interest.
1) First-time players should go in as large a group as possible; the
more the merrier. Don't worry, the staff are really friendly.
2) If you enjoy your first game - and I dare say you will - and score
respectably (say more than 50 plus 10 per player in the team?) then consider
playing on Expert level in your next game - it's not a lot harder.
Here are descriptions of the 30 games that are available, but not all of
them are available at every site. These may be out-of-date or mixed-up and
confused, but the general descriptions will indicate the sort of thing that
you'll be facing. On the thinking that forewarned is forearmed, the tips
might help a smidgeon... but probably not...
Beam Me Up; similar to the "Hat-tris" computer game. Shapes fall
down the screen; using a trackerball arrange them into piles of similar
type in the correct order. Not too hard.
Timebomb; six pads on the floor; jump from one pad to the next as
directed by the answers to the easy questions set. Tip: remember the
sequence of pads as it is needed to defuse the bomb at the end.
Sensor Cell; wiggle through poles dangling from the ceiling without
touching them to set off sensors. Not hard, especially if you're small.
Moonlander; a pretty and easy version of classic '80s game Lunar
Lander.
Orbit; tough-ish. There's some metal marbles that you have to put through
certain holes (but not certain other holes) using a magnet. If you use the
wooden overhang it's a lot easier.
Bat Cave; there's some objects in some holes that you have to identify by
feel alone. Tough at first. The screen tells you what objects to expect.
Squares; 12 squares exist each with a word on. Move from square to
square changing only one letter at a step. A piece of cake.
Blowpipe Shoot; guide a blowpipe with a trackerball and shoot pellets at
pipes to release sand to win. Easy if you shoot pipes with much sand in -
the player's friends can see how much sand each pipe contains.
The Snake Pit; swing across a very shallow pit on a rope to win the
crystal. At harder levels you have to climb the rope, which isn't nice!
Tip: press both buttons at once to win.
Magic Squares; like Squares (above) but there are numbers and not words
upon them. Jump from the sum whose answer is 7 to the one worth 14 and
so on. Tip: know your 7 times table.
The Holy Word; a video jigsaw. Use the trackerball to move a hand to
pick up pieces and put them into place to make them read the Holy Word.
Easy.
Sun Temple; just like Holy Word but you must make a picture of a temple
and not a word. Look at the outlines of the pieces very carefully to get them
in the right place.
Tasty Toadstools; guide this little snake thing around so it eats blue
toadstools but not red ones. Not too tricky.
Steam Train; this one can make you weep. Shunt red and yellow carriages
using a train so that all red ones end up in one siding and all yellow ones
in another. A steam train goes through the screen when the dot at the bottom
of the screen reaches the far left so clear the line for it to go through.
Boiler Room; by far the toughest game of them all. You control a man
on a video screen working this boiler and have to operate switches to give
certain steam pressures at certain times. It's a nightmare. Tip: panic.
Siege Catapults; easy. The team controls 2 catapults and must fire them
to knock down 6 towers. Tip: don't stop until the towers are burning.
Tarot Cards; the famous Pelmanism/matching pairs of cards game. Not
too hard if you concentrate on it.
Drawbridge; arrange some cogs in the correct order to raise a
drawbridge. You only rarely play it, but it's well 'ard.
Circular Word; spin some circular dials to make some English words. The
words to make include rope, chop, wink and funk, but you're not told that.
Bagatelle Maze; roll some little metal balls around a maze so they go
over certain sensors and don't go over some other sensors. You only need to use
one ball, the others are hindrances. Can be harder than it looks.
Heraldic Shield; a 7-letter word eg CRYSTAL is put on letters that can
slide on a tray and arranged vertically but you must slide them so that they
are arranged horizontally. Easy once you know how - practice it at home!
Conveyor Belt; some miscellaneous items roll by on a conveyor belt (eg
lamp stand, radio, cuddly toy). You have to remember what has passed
and what colour, shape etc. they all were. Concentrate and it's simple!
Symbolic Maths; some really easy sums where the numbers have been
replaced by squiggles. It's utterly simple, not solution of quadratic
algebraic expressions!
Tarantulas Lair; your player must climb through the web of metal poles
without moving them to reach the crystal button. And get out without
disturbing the spider.
Mole Scrunch; Guide your player over the village green where he must
jump on escaping moles. Only the team can see where the moles are. The player
just has green turf to walk on.
Ships Cat; swing the cat to hit the rats, but don't fall into the
pit and be careful how you treat the cat!
Joe's Garage; Similar to Towers of Hanoi. You must stack tyres onto
pallets.But don't put a bigger tyre on a smaller one. Watch out for the van!
Brick Head; You must build a wall. First lay the mortar, then the
bricks. Be careful of the cat and the spray painter!
Wotsit; You are taking part in a game show. You must put words into the
correct bins. Eg. One bin may be marked 'Biscuits' and one 'Detectives'.
So the word 'shortbread' would go into Biscuits.
And that's all there is to it! Only one or two - well, no more than half a dozen - of the games require a good deal of practice. The key fact is that every time you go round the Maze, the games are very nearly the same; so the more times you play, the easier it gets! After going around just two or three times you'll have mastered the majority of the games on the easiest level of difficulty. It gets more fun when you move up levels, though...
If you're ever near a Maze, unless you absolutely detest the show - and if so, why read this? - you should think about having a go at The Cyberdrome Crystal Maze with a few of your friends. It's so unlike anything else that words alone cannot describe it. I think it'll be enjoyed a great deal by anyone who's keen on the Chatsworth TV show in the least.