Walk, Listen, and Solve Crime With Wonderland – A Solvitur Ambulando Mystery

“Solvitur Ambulando” is a Latin expression that translates to “Walking solves it.” Artists and writers have a particularly close understanding of what Solvitur Ambulando means, as there’s no better solution for a creative mental block than getting out into the fresh air and enjoying some brisk exercise and a change of scenery.

(Most of us opt to take naps or drink heavily instead, mind you. But walking is the ideal solution.)

Walking and problem-solving go hand-in-hand with Wonderland – A Solvitur Ambulando Mystery. It’s a combination audio book / puzzle game from Canadian author Jim Munroe. The “book” takes place in early 20^th century Toronto. Theatre and moving pictures are all the rage, but nasty events can still take place in the seemingly innocent light projected by movies.

Your job is to sit back and listen to the narrator lay out the scenario. It doesn’t take long for the game to offer implications that something’s rotten in the Junction neighborhood, and that the narrator is smack in the middle of all of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWZn4n3SM3M

When a chapter ends, you can only unlock the next bit by solving a word puzzle. This is done by filling in the blank spots of a key word. While the chapter offers up the clues you need to move on, you may still find it necessary to ruminate over the evidence before you can offer up an answer.

This is where walking helps. If you walk with the game, every 100 steps fills in a blank letter. So even if you’re utterly stumped and the game does all the work for you, you’ll still receive lots of exercise in the end. Win.

Sound bizarre? It is, but it’s also super-neat if you’re a fan of non-traditional games (think Device 6 by Simogo). You can nab Wonderland on the App Store for $2.99. If you’re not sure about its pitch, try listening to the first chapter of the story for free on the game’s official website.

Nadia Oxford

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In the early aughts, Nadia fell into writing with the grace of a brain-dead bison stumbling into a chasm. Over the years, she's written for Nerve, GamePro, 1UP.com, USGamer, Pocket Gamer, Just Labs Magazine, and many other sites and magazines of fine repute. She's currently About.com's Guide to the Nintendo 3DS at ds.about.com.