Edinburgh does do Hogmanay really rather well.

New Year's Day this year served up The New Year Games that beautifully capitalised on one of the things that Scotland does well (gaming) and married it up with a very healthy dose of interactivity (at the kind of low level dose that even a slightly shabby feeling hopelessly impracticalfool such as I could cope with) in some of Edinburgh's finest locations.

We made it to two of The Games. Throw Things at FOUND in the Hub. And The Labyrinth at St Giles' Cathedral.

Throwing things at FOUND involved packs of us being admitted to the balcony in the (beautiful) main hall at The Hub, folding paper aeroplanes like the wind (though sadly none of mine were) and hurling them at a couple of electric guitars and a fancy looking box suspended mid-air part way across the hall. If an aeroplane made it to their proximity, this triggered a portion of music. It emerged after a time that if we, the pack, threw and struck these items simultaneously, all three pieces of music would be activated and we, the pack, got a point.

(All players had to choose a team. Aligning your cause with those of the Uppies or the Doonies. I chose to be an Uppie as I aspire to be their mascot: a silver eagle described as a "high flying adventurer with a taste for surprise". And you then endeavoured to amass tokens for your team.)

Now this throwing game would have been more fun for me myself if any of my aeroplanes had made it anywhere near the appropriate items. More usually, they spiralled up sharply and then dived like a diving birdy thing to the ground on an approximately vertical axis. My skillfully folded aerodynamism clearly wasn't interested in horizontal passage.

But it was kind of thrilling when someone did strike the mark and the music struck up. And it obviously encouraged collective endeavour which must form the foundation of our Big Society. David would be proud. And they gave me a pity token as I left the Gaming Area even though I'd done approximately nothing but waste trees to help us on our teamly way.

But the second game - the labyrinth - was a selfish one and for my token's worth, all the more fun for it.

In the incense-wafted heart of St Giles, they'd created a maze. In the heart of the maze paced a beautifully costumed minotaur. Players were fed into the maze at certain entry points, charged with making it across to the far side of the maze without being 'caught' by the minotaur. If he saw you move, you were dead.

If you fancied a further challenge, the minotaur was adorned with ribbons. If you snaffled a ribbon from his prowling body as you ventured past his lair - and if, still better, the ribbon was in your team colour - tokens for you.

My goodness me, it was thrilling. I crept, I froze, I boldly didn't even meet the minotaur's eye as he trickily stared into my face - he would not catch even a tremor of a pupil, I vowed - I reached, I snatched, I rushed. And a prize silvery ribbon was mine. Huzzah!

I tried to take action shots to capture the moment but they were so shaky (shaking hands the morning after - moi?) that I shan't share them with you. (I also tried taking all sorts of artistic shots of the church that at the time, appeared very thoughtful. After the event, they appear equally shaky. The one half respectable remnant is above.) But two proud tokens became mine. I loved that game.

We deposited our tokens in giant bins in the Grassmarket, alongside a stage from which further team games were being organised alongside giant jengas, connect fours, a hook a duck stall, a hammer bashing show how strong you are stand and periodic musical performers. The samba band were in full tippy tap flow as we passed by.

We missed the judging ceremony and prize giving - steak pie called. But next year, if it happens, I shall be better organised.

The day was beautifully rounded off with all sorts of waltzes, charmingly delivered by the SCO and their bouncy and adorable conductor, Nicholas McGegan. A Night in Old Vienna.

It was so charming that I mostly stayed awake. I trust this is a good omen for 2012.