BarZ Adventures has created Ranger Quest, an augmented reality adventure gaming system in a guide that allows venues to create custom-themed adventures.

First launched at the International Spy Museum in Washington DC, US, in June 2009, Ranger Quest, which runs on BarZ's GPS Ranger multimedia guide, turns the venue into a game board.

Visitors become the game pieces in a choose-your-own-adventure-style scenario with puzzles, quizzes, and clues leading to scavenger hunt items.

"We developed Ranger Quest after observing several new trends in the market," said BarZ founder and CEO Lee Little. "It's clear we're continuing to see increased use of technology in all our daily activities. We're also seeing game play increasingly becoming a family activity. At the suggestion of one of our customers, we developed Ranger Quest to address these two trends. It's a natural extension for theme parks and attractions - it links a venue with technology to create an immersive, entertaining experience for all visitors."

The game uses GPS technology, and the software framework and Adobe Flash-based graphics allow themes and storylines to be easily adapted to different venues.

The International Spy Museum in Washington has a version, called Spy in the City, which has been adapted into a self-guided outdoor city tour for ages 12 and above, where guests look for clues and crack codes to complete a mission, using the city of Washington as the game board.

As users approach landmarks around the city, clues and information in a wide range of media can be downloaded, including messages by filmed characters, documents, codes and photos.

In conjunction with themed entertainment consulting firm Smithink, BarZ has since developed a Ranger Quest game concept for zoos called Safari Quest, challenging younger players to explore the zoo while locating animals, solving riddles and collecting information, earning as many points as possible in a timed race.