EVEN just clicking a mouse or tapping a keyboard can prove tricky when navigating a normal computer game.

When the game is screened onto a giant climbing wall and the player is clinging onto the hand grips, it seems the task is even more testing.

City Mazes in Oxford is hoping its customers will be up for the challenge, and has officially opened its new 'augmented' climbing wall.

Oxford Mail:

The entertainment complex, based at the Kassam Stadium, is known for its real-life escape games.

Its new addition of the interactive climbing wall was tried out by students on Tuesday, with a head-to-head battle between Oxford University's mountaineering club and Oxford Brookes University's climbing club.

Oxford Mail:

The wall challenged competitors with a series of games, on the most difficult settings, to test their skills and stamina.

They tackled video games called ClimbBall, Sparks and the popular Whack-a-Bat, which saw them hit and stomp on moving targets across the wall to accrue points.

Ester Gil Vazquez, captain of the winning Oxford University team, said: "We've had a really fun night and enjoyed competing against passionate climbers from Oxford Brookes.

"There was a variety of games and some really challenged us physically."

Rory Knight, operations manager of The Event Corporation, the company which has brought the wall to Oxford, said: "Seeing such brilliant climbers demonstrate their skill on the wall was fantastic and the Brookes climbers, although not winners, gave some incredible performances as well.

"We look forward to welcoming people of all age groups and experience to enjoy this new form of active entertainment in Oxford."

Augmented climbing walls work by projecting graphics onto the surface and then track the player's movements as they interact with those.