Game Review: IsraelQuest

I don't play games much, and they generally don't interest me (do not confuse sports with games). When I heard about an Internet based family adventure game, I was somewhat curious but not overly excited to check it out. I did think it would be a nice way to spend an afternoon with the kids in lockdown when we are always looking for things to do or games to play. This would definitely keep us busy for a while and is something we had not done before.
Bagels & Locks Studios just came out with their first adventure called "IsraelQuest: Challenge One". Playing it, the first thing I said to my wife is "Pretty cool. This is like an online version of an Escape Room!". And it is. Sure enough, I just discovered that the people behind Bagel & Locks Studios previously operated an Escape Room in Tzfat (or still do but tourism is dead right now, unfortunately), so the transition is pretty good and they clearly have the experience to design such an adventure that can be challenging and fun.
Right now there is one adventure, but there are 3 versions of it. They have a kids version, for young kids, a version they call "Original" that is good for a family with children of mixed ages and a Pro version that if more for teens and up. The challenge is the same but the difference is in the difficulty of the clues and puzzles. I understand they are working on more adventures, but this is brand new, just released merely days ago.
The adventure takes you through different parts of Israel and you have to figure out what you are supposed to figure out along the way. The adventure comes with tools and hints and whatnot to help you figure things out along the way, should you need them. The clues, and even the challenges, are hidden throughout the adventure, and the challenge is not just deciphering the puzzles but also in figuring out what you are supposed to look for and figuring out where the puzzles are.
This adventure kept us busy for a good period of the afternoon, though with interruptions. Thankfully one is not limited in time, as we would never have been able to just sit for an hour or two or three and work on this with no interruptions.
It is recommended to do this adventure on the device with the biggest screen possible that you have available. On a regular sized laptop we had to keep moving different windows around as the story and  clues and notes windows and other windows we had to open at different times did keep at least partially covering each other up.
Overall, we had fun as a family playing the IsraelQuest Challenge, and it kept us all busy working on it for a good portion of an afternoon. I hope they publish more adventures soon. This does not even have to be just for a virus lockdown. it is a good activity for a rainy day or a lazy Sunday or any other time you don't want to go out but still want something to do as a family. The pricing right now is set at an introductory price which is something you should take advantage of. I don't know what the price will go up to, or when it will be ticked up, but right now it is at a level you should take advantage of.
Check out IsraelQuest and their Facebook page
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