Mark9

What a ridiculous rule. Who came up with that one? I suppose it's one of those rules made up completely on the fly like 15 people to run Rameses or loading Fury with two or three adults depending on how they are feeling that week.

A sign of common sense prevailing per chance? Any sighting of air gates at Buccaneer then?

Wowser. Great looking ride there. Take out the lift hill and the backwards section and it reminds me heavily of Juvelen. The last part of the ride seems a bit cumbersome but hey ho, the rest of it is fab.

Quiet close to dead. Tis Mothers day y'know. Although I could be wrong and everyone decides to go because its mothers day y'know. But traditionally, Mothers Day has been very quiet.

Heide taking a leaf out of Smiler's pre-opening promotion with the new rides logo appearing on some buildings in Germany. Somehow doesn't captivate the mind like the brilliant marketing done for The Smiler last year.

Anyone going to this one then?

Just spent half an hour listening to that beautiful music. No Shame. It has the Mark9 seal of approval.

I miss the days when Pixar did their own thing and made stunning films without relying on the back catalogue. The Incredibles is a fantastic film and has a very definite ending with the family coming together and acting as a unit. It doesn't need part two.

Really? Thing is, people are stupid. So stupid that on rides like Fury and Runaway Train they will actually sit on the restraints. Look at all the incidents in America of staff not doing their job properly, over-riding the rides safety protocols to send the train. Next thing you know, people flying out of seats. Health and Safety 'isn't going mad' like you suggest, I'm not sure it can go mad when it's keeping people alive, especially when it comes to the day to day running of a ride.

I seem to remember at the time that Terror/Forbidden tomb was universally lauded and not really liked by the park. It's popularity certainly dropped like a stone over its life and was increasingly ignored by guests visiting. Hence why it changed to Tomb Blaster. Now it's more popular then it's ever been so I think it was the right decision to retheme it back in 2002.

Swarm in the top left hand corner

It last operated around last June/July. A lot of the time it is a bit of a monument and it's amazing Thorpe even bother with it anymore.

I have to give some credit to Chessington here, from the pictures on themeuk, the ride looks far better then I could have thought three weeks ago. Quite a turn around, although the ride itself really looks poor compared to the nice looking queuing area.

I adore the Market Square compass. Thanks Theme UK. Thats the kind of thing I adore, that seperates Chessington from the rest. I also like the tree sculptures near Toadies, great work by the park. It's that kind of thoughtful, beautiful work that really shows up the half arsed attempts on Scorpion and lack of work at Falls.

First AP day, few things to note. Park doesn't look quite ready, especially around Stealth. Both the diner and the shop look rough and ready. The join between Amity Cove and Angry birds Land currently looks terrible with a silly game added next to the KFC which is an abominaton on the eyes,. The flat rides really struggled today. Samurai, Slammer and Zodiac didn't open at all (all three should be scrapped), Vortex looked abysmal and could barely make it anyway above top swing. (The highest it could get) Quantum seemed to be having large issues with the restraints, having to be rechecked again and again. Saw Rush and Detonator broken down as well. Rush was also on a very short, 3 top swing setting. The real saviour was as per usual the B&M's and water rides. Both B&M's were on two trains and both running extremely well. The weather was perfect for the water rides too. All in all, a good start to the season but they need to get those flat rides going before the busy season really gets going.

What the hell was wrong with the old restraunt?! Are Merlin just mad or in their quest to make everything generic and the same and branded, ruining any sense of individuality the parks have.

Probably because roller coasters are the single biggest thing that attracts customers to a theme park. No one sits there and goes my god I need to get on Quantum ASAP. Thorpe have just gone for the extreme on the map,

Why waste time on a Dodgems fastrack when you can go to a local fair, pay about the same amount and get a longer ride with probably faster cars.

The new map according to Alton Towers guide. If true, much, MUCH improved.

I'm a fan of the new map. Catches your eye, easy to follow, puts the five roller coasters at the forefront. Good stuff.

Splash Mountain by a country mile. I can (and have) listened to that soundtrack for hours.

In 2012, I was assigned to write a feature for Colossus's tenth birthday. The article itself was my best work if I don't say so myself. It was my intention that I would be able to do a similar piece when it came to 2003's blisteringly hot but underwhelmingly* tepid Nemesis Inferno in 2013. But this did not happen. No matter what I wrote, constructed or thought about, inspiration abandoned me and I just couldn't put together a piece that would do Inferno justice. And the problem comes down to one sticking point; There is just nothing special about Nemesis Inferno. Nemesis Inferno, distinctly middle of the road. But worry not fellow Thorpe fanboys and coaster nerds for the story doesn't end there. It is for that reason that for me, Nemesis Inferno is one of Thorpe's very best roller coasters and one that I get the most pleasure out of riding during a visit. Let me tell you a tale about a ride that was hyped to the max, but could never reach those lofty heights. Back in 2002, Colossus had done unexpected things for Thorpe, it's visitor numbers rising and rising and the construction of a brand new Inverter would have been a spectacular thing indeed for English enthusiasts. Remember, we are talking about a time when Nemesis most definitely ruled the roost in the UK and unless you were up for travelling to America, Italy or Spain, chances are it was your only shot. The hype surrounding Inferno was definitely something different, particularly when it was associated with the Nemesis name. I can remember at the time, discussion on Inferno's finale helixes being discussed as potentially as intense as Nemesis's helix after its first inversion. Talk about building the hype. Of course, come April 2003, Inferno opens and it isn't quite as good as it's predecessor. My favourite description at the time was a ride on Inferno's front row was not as intense as a ride on the Happy Halibuts of Octopus Garden. Talk about damning a product. At the time, with only Colossus complimenting Inferno, it came under harsher criticism then it probably deserved. With only two major roller coasters** to keep customers happy, Inferno came under the limelight in a way that many rides do not. After all, inverters had really boomed in the 90's with the Batman clones being installed all across America and rides that dominated their respected parks like Katun, Montu and Alpengeist. By 2003, with new types of rides starting to dominate such as sky hogging mega coasters and Intamin's brand new launch technology breaking record after record it's easy to see why Inferno was not enough and why Inferno could actually be seen as a bit, old hat. This is all hindsight of course. With the addition of Stealth, Saw: The Ride and The Swarm, things have increasingly changed at Thorpe and of course, so has Nemesis Inferno. As higher, faster and more attention grabbing rides have been added, Inferno has become more of a support roller coaster. When everything else goes to hell in a hand basket, Inferno is the old reliable. Always the ride with minimal queues, always the ride that eats through queues like it's going out of fashion and always the ride that delivers a smooth, intense experience. Never really pushing its customers too far but always delivering its promise of an enjoyable and satisfying ride. I know there are those that will disagree. A B&M inverter should be the absolute pinnacle of intensity, nothing should be considered more when riding this ride type. If that is the promise then Inferno doesn't deliver. Luckily, just up the M1 and left a bit is another roller coaster that does fulfil the necessary criteria. At Thorpe however is a ride built on the tail end of a coaster boom, one that is loved by a small but vocal minority. And for me personally, it holds some very special memories. It was my very first B&M and by default my first B&M inverter, it was the first ride that I really followed construction of and I know full well that it is my most ridden ride thanks to many Single rider sessions in 2004. More then most then, I can say that Inferno is an average ride at best. But even average is better then the majority of roller coasters out there. And that's good enough for me. Thanks for reading, Mark9 *I made up a word just for this review. Now that is dedication for you **I know people will say X:/ No Way Out was a major roller coaster. it just isn't OKAY!

It's outrageous that Griffins Galleon didn't win this.

I'd like to congratulate Benin on finally toppling Marc as the biggest (read, most likely to post) poster on TPM. Well done, Benin. You have won a free ride on Colossus.

Is Ms Powell a special kind of idiot?