tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38701040175141841362008-05-03T09:56:27.323ZMSnoreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-40560601490710059962007-02-25T13:24:00.001Z2007-03-18T12:01:21.936Z

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

JPnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-86179513895341388232007-02-25T13:20:00.001Z2007-03-02T17:51:30.592Z

This article contains spoilers. If you read on, please be aware that surprises or secrets may be revealed in great depth It would be easy to think that Disney was the pioneer or dark rides. Rides like Pirates of the Caribbean or Phantom Manor are among some of the most famous theme park rides ever built, and have become the yardstick of the their genres. In reality, the basic idea for such

JPnoreply@blogger.comtag: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

JPnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-28708155787284187962007-02-25T12:09:00.000Z2007-02-25T12:10:41.611Z

This article contains spoilers. If you read on, please be aware that surprises or secrets may be revealed in great depth Like a poorly rehearsed pantomime, Valhalla is ham fisted and clumsy. Blackpool's vision for a spectacular dark ride started not long after the historic Funhouse was destroyed by fire. Blackpool wanted this to be the most spectacular dark ride in the world, and although I

MSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-45384492006150595062007-02-25T11:53:00.000Z2007-03-01T21:25:38.666Z

This article contains spoilers. If you read on, please be aware that surprises or secrets may be revealed in great depth We all know what you get when you cross a dark ride with a living tableau demonstrating the ethnicity and ethos of other countries and cultures in the world - It's a Small World. If you throw stories of jealousy and deceit into the fray of an idyllic civilisation culminating

MSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-47266652017866570552007-02-25T11:42:00.001Z2007-03-01T20:15:36.934Z

This article contains spoilers. If you read on, please be aware that surprises or secrets may be revealed in great depth Since the curtain fell on the Fifth Dimension in late 1993, Forbidden Tomb has been a replacement with unfulfilled potential, wreaking of originality but stinking of budget cuts. Ride it you do, hate it you don't and love it you don't - you come off feeling very unswayed by

MSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-16152004429733917822007-02-25T10:47:00.000Z2007-03-01T20:00:22.305Z

This article contains spoilers. If you read on, please be aware that surprises or secrets may be revealed in great depth Sometimes a ride just hits that spot and brings a lump to your throat, makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end and completely overwhelms you. Yet, it takes a better wordsmith than I to adequately explain why exactly a ride should be capable of conjuring up such

MSnoreply@blogger.comtag: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

MSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-31248851529485718122007-02-24T15:23:00.000Z2007-02-26T20:34:51.235Z

This article contains spoilers. If you read on, please be aware that surprises or secrets may be revealed in great depth Thunder Mesa is prospering from the Gold Rush, and the wedding of the century is planned. In this woeful tale of young love, this is a wedding like no other. Melanie Ravenswood, the daughter of a wealthy patriarch has fallen in love with a railroad engineer from the Big

MSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-19334810407744254102007-02-24T12:20:00.000Z2007-02-25T21:53:14.580Z

This article contains spoilers. If you read on, please be aware that surprises or secrets may be revealed in great depth This all started in 1821 on an old carriage road approaching the then residence of the Earl of Shrewsbury, the Towers, which then was one of the largest stately homes in the whole country. A haggard old beggar approached the Earl and his horse drawn carriage. She asked the

MSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-64913596230946583792007-02-24T12:08:00.000Z2007-02-26T21:14:58.915Z

This article contains spoilers. If you read on, please be aware that surprises or secrets may be revealed in great depth Once, a family engagement had me standing in the rain being battered by the wind as I waited for our evidently in-demand table at a restaurant with quite an extraordinary reputation. The local dining out guide touted this as the place to be seen, and indeed, I can attest to

MSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-57590522349366732342007-02-24T12:01:00.000Z2007-02-26T21:28:13.157Z

This article contains spoilers. If you read on, please be aware that surprises or secrets may be revealed in great depth Europa Park's interpretation of France isn't far wrong. It is completely bedecked with delicate and ornate theming with cobbled streets and street cafes. The pathway swoops dramatically over a rippling river, trimmed with wrought iron railings, finished off with beautiful

MSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-26241244927691917592007-02-24T11:13:00.001Z2007-02-25T21:50:47.082Z

This article contains spoilers. If you read on, please be aware that surprises or secrets may be revealed in great depth Although investment has been heavy of late, overlooking the Corkscrew, Tussauds are clearly careful not to let older rides be swept under the carpet of obscurity. Rides that have become stale are normally either removed (especially if it's a hand-me-down from John Broome) or

MSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3870104017514184136.post-65048768473106019022007-02-21T21:08:00.000Z2007-02-28T23:37:57.147Z

This article contains spoilers. If you read on, please be aware that surprises or secrets may be revealed in great depth With the popularity of Universal's Mummy coasters, it is easy to think that blurring the line of distinction between coaster and dark ride is a new thing. It does in fact date back as far as the late 1800's with the popularity of the Scenic Railway. On such rides, dioramas

MSnoreply@blogger.comtag: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

MSnoreply@blogger.com