Armchair treasure hunts involve solving riddles from the comfort of your own home to claim a prize. The most common format for armchair hunts is a book with picture and text clues leading to a location where a valuable ‘treasure’ is hidden. The clues need logic and creativity to solve – sometimes the creator will try to obscure exactly how you solve the mystery. To decipher the clues you’ll need to think outside the box and use research skills.

Many armchair treasure hunts involve solving the puzzle at home and then travelling to a physical location where the prize is buried. Some hunts also allow submitting the solution by email, this allows the game to be played wherever you are in the world.

These games were popularised in 1979 by the Masquerade picture book which revealed clues that led to a buried golden hare jewel. This will site review some of my favourite armchair hunts that are currently unsolved. If you think there’s a hunt I should add please get in touch.