It's Monday night in Edinburgh and the most difficult challenge continually faced by gatherings of two or more people everywhere has just been issued.

"Wizards, you need a name, you need to come up with a name for your order."

The edict comes from a tall, dark-haired man in a long black cape holding a wizard's staff.

Behind him, a smiling lady at the bar is arranging menus featuring pumpkin pasties, chocolate frogs and a version of Butterbeer.

In deference to their Scottish location, a scotch pie is also on offer.

After some embarrassed mumbling our team bravely suggests "Order of the Dragon"?

There is a distinct question mark at the end of it but the tall man with the staff nods sagely.

First task complete. We have a name. Next step? Grab our cloaks and fight the Dark Lord.

This week, a Harry Potter themed escape room opened in Edinburgh and there certainly could not be a better city to host one.

Edinburgh, after all, is home to author JK Rowling herself. This is where Harry Potter was written. It has a Hogwartsy type of castle, eerie cobbled streets and thanks to recent facial hair trends, a fair amount of bearded Hagrid looking characters wandering about.

This particular escape room game is situated on Blair Street down some wonderfully brooding steps into a basement in the city's cobbled old town.

It opens into a darkly lit bar area, complete with candelabras and Harry Potter themed snacks where you are invited to "hang out with your order" until you are ready to begin your wizarding mission.

You're then straight into your challenge, with your helpful ministry guide, who cloaks you and prepares you for the tasks ahead.

It's a type of interactive game, set up by Monkey Barrel Comedy, where you enter a series of rooms as wizards and complete a series of magical challenges.

Without wanting to give anything away, prepare for potions, dragons and a delightful amount of references to the globally adored Harry Potter books.

As director John Millar said: "This is more than just an escape room.

"This is a truly immersive experience, we want people to believe in this magical world of witchcraft and wizardry as they cast their spells and brew their potions."

Cloaks are provided - wands are too when needed - and there's a version of Butterbeer for sale at the end for those who find fighting 'He Who Must Not Be Named' thirsty work.

There's enough, in short, for everyone to be able to embrace their own inner witch or wizard and embrace that little part of us that has always believed in magic.

Prices range from £14 per person for groups of five to £20 per person for groups of two.