BenC

Trees or no trees, Storm Surge looks an eyesore, although granted the themeing added since AP Day helps it a little. I rode it yesterday and thought it was alright - short and sedate pretty much sums it up. The boat I was in didn't spin much, so perhaps I got unlucky there, but given the choice between Storm Surge and Rumba Rapids, I'd probably rather ride Rumba!Having said that, it's nice to see an investment by Thorpe in a family-oriented attraction, and of course, compared to AT and CwoA, at least we've got something substantially new this year. Roll on 2012 though, eh?As ever, my full review with photos/video is over at Total Thorpe Park.

For the first season in years, we can see Thorpe making a real effort with Park-wide appearance and theming. I really like the new signage around the Park, and it's great to see the attention to detail on some individual rides; Colossus has had some nice work done to it, Vortex looks fabulous, and the Amity Cove KFC is superb! The entrance plaza is also very smart. And full mist on Nemesis Inferno, including the queueline crater? Really nice effort; I don't think the Park has in general looked this good for years.

I went on SAW Alive on Sunday, and thought that although it was well presented, it ultimately failed to be an effective "horror maze" - it wasn't very scary! The theming is undeniably impressive, but the attraction as a whole isn't half as intense as, say, The Asylum. I've had scarier experiences with Hellgate, Se7en and The Curse too. That said, there were a few jumpy moments (the hanging girl in the freezer room, and the gunshot in the last scene). I'm hoping that Thorpe will continually evaluate the attraction and look for ways to improve it. There's a lot of potential there!Full review and photos @ http://www.totalthorpepark.co.uk

This clearly is not a finished project, but I don't think that Alton Towers have done anything terribly wrong in showing it to the general public now. Obviously its not ideal, but they've got the ride up and running, and both of those news reports were great publicity for the Park - any publicity is good publicity!I think it will be a good ride for the Park, provided the theming is done well. It won't be the next Nemesis or Oblivion, but we shouldn't have been expecting that. It will, however, be different, and (for the majority of the GP) completely unexpected. I look forward to it!