As the Old Fire Station’s house lights dim, a red progress bar is projected onto a large screen at the back of the stage. ‘Anxiety loading…’ reads the caption. Seconds later, our host for the evening, John Robertson, struts onto the stage. His black leather trousers, spiky shoulder pads and battery-powered accessories evoke a grimy, mid-eighties vibe.

Half computer geek, half Mad Max villain, Robertson greets us in his raspy antipodean drawl, then proceeds to roast the audience one generation at a time. His withering pity for elderly spectators gives way to affectionate mockery of millennials, smug dismissal of ‘nineties kids’ and a torrent of playful abuse for the few unfortunate teens in the audience. With our collective ego well and truly pricked, Robertson explains the rules and enlists his first volunteer, who - like all subsequent volunteers - is swiftly renamed.

‘I will call you… Darren.’ Sneers Robertson. Evidently, several audience members have seen the show before, and shout along with Robertson: ‘You awake to find yourself in a dark room.’ A few minutes later, after making one too many bad choices, Robertson’s first victim opts to ‘Lick wall’ and in doing so discovers an exposed electrical wire. The word ‘Death’ flashes on the screen. ‘And what do you think that means, Darren?’ Asks Robertson with his trademark leer. ‘You die, you die, you die!’ An hour and a half, and a dozen dead Darrens later, we are all gleefully roaring those same words in unison.

This was my second experience of The Dark Room, so I was already familiar with this ‘live-action, text-based adventure game’. Nevertheless, I’m pleased to report the show remains as hilarious as I remembered. The central game’s retro setup offers a suitably eccentric backdrop for Robertson’s finely tuned improvisational stand-up, which draws on audience interactions to prompt jokes about any conceivable subject - from obscure computer game references to current hot-topics. I was also pleased to see Robertson has some new tricks up his sleeve, and I’m embarrassed to admit a side-game involving JFK caused me to laugh louder and longer than I’d usually consider appropriate.

The main reason the show works so well - and has toured internationally for eleven years - is Robertson’s immaculate crowd-work. The retro-gaming format is a neat touch, but Robertson’s chaotic energy and ability to poke fun at everyone and everything, including himself, is the vital ingredient. With so much fear and worry in the world right now, we need more shows like this.