tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38701040175141841362007-05-13T09:16:13.205ZMSBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-73080933244934649342007-05-07T11:27:00.000Z2007-05-13T09:16:13.240Z

I just can't believe the Top Scan has been with us for an entire decade. It only seems like yesterday since we first heard rumblings of a new fairground ride from Mondial that, even then, seemed destined to take over the world. Here in the UK, we did our familiar impressions of Oliver Twist, looking at all the fun the European fairgoers were having, never thinking that we could possibly have one

JPtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-75765682962921200892007-03-23T14:26:00.000Z2007-04-09T12:07:23.970Z

The British Seaside Resort is fast fading away. Not by winds and costal erosion mind, but by the lure of foreign climates and inland theme parks. Some of our once mighty kings of the coast have either vanished into developers' pockets or are rusting away in a rot of false optimism. Only very few can actually say that they are storming ahead with their plans for the future. For those in the

LCtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-57043522796501353622007-02-25T12:45:00.000Z2007-04-01T17:57:58.915Z

This article contains spoilers. If you read on, please be aware that surprises or secrets may be revealed in great depth This is an archived review and is no longer representative of the ride that it covers. For a list of up to date reviews, please click here If I tell you that Star World is a coaster with spinning cars, I suspect I can predict your reaction. "Whoopee-doo" you'll say, "We need

JPtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-42212387436404516232007-02-23T19:34:00.000Z2007-04-01T12:08:23.994Z

Pleasure Beach Blackpool has always prided itself on providing something for everyone. If you're looking for wooden coasters, no park does more to keep you happy. If steel coasters are your desire, the Pleasure Beach provides a wide variety of types. Likewise, fans of dark rides are comprehensively catered for. However, there was always one group that was left out in the cold, namely the group

JPtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-34551364716412271452007-03-24T12:30:00.000Z2007-03-25T16:16:48.199Z

Like so many parks in the UK, Drayton Manor's new ride selection seems to be based on the park's location. The difference here being that while height and planning permission is still a consideration, the park is situated ominously close to Alton Towers, a park that is rightly or wrongly regarded as the holy grail of British theme parks. Our version of Disneyland, if you will. How does a

LCtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-51335693782531136782007-03-20T21:58:00.000Z2007-03-24T19:19:41.397Z

This is an archived review and is no longer representative of the ride that it covers. For a list of up to date reviews, please click here As an intelligent and discerning reader, I assume you're perfectly familiar with chaos theory, but for the benefit of those who didn't pay attention at school, chaos theory simply states that, if the universe is infinite, and time is eternal, then there must

JPtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-36504428753092495342007-03-24T12:40:00.000Z2007-03-24T13:26:09.289Z

Conversations at Pleasure Beach Blackpool: Kid: "I want to go on the Roller Coaster" Parent: "Which one?" Kid: "No, I want to go on the Roller Coaster" Parent: "Yes, which one?" Kid: "THE ROLLER COASTER!" Parent: "Fine. If you're going to be silly, then next time we'll just leave you at home shall we? I knew we shouldn't have come today, right from the moment that you broke that vase this

LCtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-27670846777056465492007-03-24T13:09:00.000Z2007-03-24T13:24:27.143Z

For most humans, there are some memories that seem to remain sacred. I am of course referring to some of our earliest memories from childhood. Our reflections of a time when everything we saw and sensed was new and we desperately tried to make sense of it all. Seemingly, our memories of such times are patchy, and we remember certain circumstances that seem trivial yet stay in our minds still -

LCtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-45589082216048332662007-03-24T11:21:00.000Z2007-03-24T11:23:06.336Z

When Drayton Manor installed an Enterprise on the site of their old Cine 180 a few years back, it would be tempting to say that few people were whooping with delight. Ironically though, quite a lot of people were whooping with delight - and it was this cacophony of screams and shouts combined with the trademark Enterprise growl that spelt the end of Cyclone's brief period at the park, being

LCtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-57913255215461857762007-02-23T20:03:00.000Z2007-03-20T22:07:56.263Z

Eee, when I was a lad, everything was brilliant. The sun would always shine, kids respected their elders, and chicken really tasted like chicken. We had some grand rides in those days too. I remember there was a ride called Chaos. An Afterburner, it was, and one of the best. In fact, I remember loving that ride so much I even wrote a review for a website called Coaster Kingdom (or something) and

JPtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-40560601490710059962007-02-25T13:24:00.000Z2007-03-18T12:01:21.936Z

This article contains spoilers. If you read on, please be aware that surprises or secrets may be revealed in great depth Anyone who remembers the early days of video games will undoubtedly recall Space Invaders. There was a time when every arcade, every pub, and every chip shop had a copy of the game, and people would eagerly queue up to feed 10p coins into the machine for a few minutes of

JPtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-9397958840667278542007-02-24T16:08:00.000Z2007-03-18T11:59:55.730Z

Going to a German fair and want somewhere to stay? Before you scour the worldwide web in vain for an appropriate abode, may I be the first to recommend Ewald Schneider's Grand Hotel, an illustrious 13-story tower that can be found in the cities of all great German fairs such as Dusseldorf, Hanover and Stuttgart. This hotel is as prestigious as it is distinguished, and is the place to be seen

MStag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-52153912573625382382007-02-23T19:21:00.000Z2007-03-18T11:57:08.625Z

Apparently I've got eight pints of blood in my body. Fine by me. For most of my life, it has spread itself fairly evenly. A pint or so in each limb, couple in my torso, and the rest in my head. That was alright. Lately, though, I think all eight pints has taken up permanent residence in my bonce, sloshing around my brain, making me top-heavy and clumsy. I'm writing this review sitting on the

JPtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-37270518356215500132007-02-23T22:21:00.000Z2007-03-18T11:48:25.058Z

Here's a little experiment for you to try. Go out and grab someone from anywhere in Britain. Next, ask them about the old TV game show, "Bullseye". I guarantee that within one minute, they will mention the contestants who would "Win a speedboat, despite living in Tamworth". The point of this joke was that Tamworth is officially the furthest town in Britain from the sea. Nowhere is more "midlands"

JPtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-57260268821471151432007-02-25T12:26:00.000Z2007-03-18T11:43:42.555Z

We all owe a huge debt of gratitude Charles Talbot, the 15th Earl of Shrewsbury. He transformed a barren area of the Staffordshire countryside into the elegant landscape that we know as Alton Towers. He created the gardens, the lakes, and everything that made it one of the most extraordinarily estates in the world. It was his life's work, his pride and joy. He died in 1827, and as a tribute to

JPtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-13520297130953870712007-02-25T11:58:00.000Z2007-03-18T11:43:31.494Z

This article contains spoilers. If you read on, please be aware that surprises or secrets may be revealed in great depth We humans are a curious lot. Despite around a quarter of the planet remaining uncharted, we have broadened our horizons of discovery to the furthest fringes of our solar system and beyond. Our inquisitiveness has yielded the discovery of extinct breeds of animal, as well as

MStag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-72027032642025576562007-02-25T13:57:00.000Z2007-03-18T11:43:16.744Z

What can you do to create a coaster that grabs visitors' attention? A dozen inversions? 300ft drops? Maybe, but these things don't come cheap, and not every park has that sort of money hidden under the mattress. No, a lot of parks need to find a cheaper way of turning heads. One such park is Camelot. Sitting in Lancashire, the park has always suffered from the fact that it sits only a half hour

JPtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-57476112985996108022007-02-24T11:06:00.000Z2007-03-18T11:42:54.902Z

The legend of St. George has it that a pagan town in Libya was terrorised by a dragon, and as the mutton it fed on waned, citizens were sacrificed in order to control the dragon and supplement its irrepressible diet. Hearing of the impending fate of a local princess, Saint George went to her aid, succeeding where armies had failed in slaughtering the flame-throwing serpent and saving the fair

MStag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-80877948962425882942007-02-25T12:40:00.000Z2007-03-18T11:38:54.118Z

Sometimes you can add two and two and make three. Sometimes you can take the most mouth-watering ingredients and somehow end up with something that tastes like cardboard. The good folk of Austria's Funtime Group obviously saw the universal popularity of the Zierer Wave Swinger, and then the enormous success of the myriad of tower rides littering the world's parks and fairs. They then whipped out

JPtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-80865982199718373782007-02-23T20:29:00.000Z2007-03-18T11:38:47.929Z

No matter how hard you try, you simply can't prepare yourself for your first visit to a German fair. However high your expectations, I defy anyone not to spend their entire visit uttering the words "How can that thing travel?" every thirty seconds or so. Even when you should be used to it, there are some rides that retain this sense of mystique and wonder, and none more so than Eurostar. This

JPtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-32283843055536803762007-02-24T17:25:00.000Z2007-03-18T11:38:40.888Z

This article contains spoilers. If you read on, please be aware that surprises or secrets may be revealed in great depth The films of the Star Wars trilogy are perhaps the most epic, profound and astounding scenes ever set into celluloid, the most appreciated movies ever and the one of the most well known pictures ever filmed, even twenty years on. If done well, to theme a ride after these

MStag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-61708374363268815722007-02-21T19:44:00.000Z2007-03-18T10:24:02.997Z

"No policeman's going to give the Batmobile a ticket." "This money goes to building better roads. We all must do our part." These are words of wisdom from the mouth of Batman, a superhero quite unlike any other. Batman has always been famous for his lack of super-powers and his inability to fly. He has made it fashionable to go to the scenes of crime in a Batmobile, lecture robin about the use

MStag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-18779341504556593632007-02-21T20:18:00.000Z2007-03-18T10:22:41.109Z

This article contains spoilers. If you read on, please be aware that surprises or secrets may be revealed in great depth Go to Universal Studios, and you can ride the movies. Go to Chessington World of Adventures, and you can ride the adverts. Chessington World of Adventures' new Bubbleworks is like a 15-minute commercial break without the luxury of a remote control. Like most adverts, it is

MStag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-53409034189217571192007-02-24T12:58:00.000Z2007-03-18T10:22:14.343Z

This review is scheduled to be re-written in the near future. Please bear in mind that the review may no longer be representative of the ride or our opinion of it Lets briefly reflect on the importance of Nemesis, the 1994 inverted coaster at Alton Towers, Staffordshire: Firstly, this was the first major roller coaster that Tussauds installed at Alton Towers. The 1992 duo (Runaway Mine Train

MStag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-9970412527264268582007-02-25T12:56:00.000Z2007-03-18T10:21:28.429Z

If I were to say to you that I had found possibly the best Log Flume in Europe, what would you say? How about if I went on to say that it features two forward drops, a backward one, tunnels, excellent theming, animatronic scenery, and a finale that sees water flying around in every conceivable direction? I don't want to put words into your mouth, but I assume you'd say "That sounds splendid, old

JP