The Da Vinci Code? Meet a couple who've got it cracked! A former Loscoe man and his wife have devised a board game inspired by the controversial bestseller.
And now Martin Woods and Allison Carmichael are all set to cash in on this month's release of the big-screen blockbuster.
The couple, who now live in France, have already sold over 50,000 copies of their game, which went on sale last October.
"Th
e release of the film is certain to boost sales even more," said Martin (31), who went to school in Loscoe and whose dad Alan still lives in the village.
Father-of-two Martin has enjoyed inventing board games for family and friends since he was a boy – he created his first at the age of seven – and compiles crosswords for The Big Issue.
He said: "I was inventing a game for our boys when Allison asked me why didn't I make a Da Vinci game. We'd already read the book and really enjoyed it.
"I thought there must already be hundreds of games but when we checked, there wasn't one, and so the Da Vinci Game idea was born."
Wife Allison (43) added: "It was a lot of fun for us to design and create the game.
"We wanted to create something that was exciting, thought-provoking and fun, yet at the same time incorporating the symbolic and spirital aspects of ancient wisdom."
The game is designed for three or more players or teams aged 12 or over. Players compete against each other and against the clock to solve a series of puzzles, riddles, logic problems and codes, before facing a final challenge to become the Grand Master.
"Now it's great to imagine people as far flung as New Zealand, Australia and the UK playing the game," said Martin.
"It's always a thrill for us to hear how much fun people are having playing it."
