Escape game: we tested Le Casse du Siècle, the Ocean's Eleven-style room at Lock Academy

Investigating a museum burglary... If you can't pull off the heist of the century, you'll have to solve it at Lock Academy, an escape game in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, which offers one of its most spectacular rooms (in our humble opinion). Entitled Le Casse du Siècle (you can't make that up...), it plunges you into the heart of a museum that's just been robbed, in Ocean's Eleven style. A detective's manual on how to pull off the perfect crime has gone missing, and it's up to you to track it down, along with the burglars.

Trailer for Lock Academy's Le Casse du Siècle room:

Lock Academy's Le Casse du Siècle room synopsis:

"Play it Ocean's Eleven style! A team of pros has just pulled off a heist at the Lock Academy museum! The detective's guide has been stolen. Written by some of the world's greatest investigators, this encyclopedia will enable anyone in possession of it to pull off the perfect crime. Catch up with the thieves, anticipate their next move and stop them in time in this sumptuously decorated escape game".

• To be read
• The best escape and investigation games in Paris and the Ile-de-France region
• Escape games and gaming experiences for two in Paris
• Our selection of escape games and immersive experiences in Paris to feel like in a movie

Our review of Le Casse du Siècle at Lock Academy:

So, how does Le Casse du Siècle, the museum heist-style room, fare at Lock Academy? It's very positive, on several counts: firstly, the sets, which are very well done, not to say impeccable. It's very well done, very beautiful and very immersive. You're plunged straight into a museum room brimming with secrets and puzzles to be solved. In our humble opinion, this is the real highlight of the room.

As for the riddles, even though the room is technically the most difficult of the series, we found them neither too simple nor too complicated. In the end, the riddles are fairly accessible, making for a fluid adventure from start to finish. Professor Lock's messages and puzzles are easy to decipher, requiring no special knowledge. It's a room that requires a lot of thought, logic, digging, manipulation and, above all, communication with your teammates.

It's also a highly technological room, offering a variety of accessories (fingerprint reader, computer, sophisticated machines, etc.) that you'll need to hack into all the possible systems on offer in the room. It's innovative without being revolutionary, but it's good to see escape game brands taking a fresh approach to puzzle-solving.

The finale is very intense, requiring a great deal of communication, but also a great deal of composure. Note that the puzzles are available in English, to please all players, French and foreign alike. A room that the editorial team completed in threes, winning in 59 minutes and 27 seconds... Suffice to say, we barely finished the adventure! But it's a venue we highly recommend. All you have to do is book!

A room that stands out not only for its immersive scenario, but also for its sumptuous museum decor, immersing you in history. An intermediate-level room, for a team of 2 to 6 players, which will require you to rack your brains a little... But not too much either! This escape game is also accessible to players aged 9 and over accompanied by an adult, and 14 and over without.

Don't go to the wrong address, though: Lock Academy has two locations in the heart of Paris, in the 1st and 2nd arrondissements. Head for the 1st, at 25, rue Coquillère, to solve this suspenseful and surprising investigation... Grab your magnifying glasses, folks!