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It was formerly Chessington Zoo but was reopened in 1987 under the new name following a £18 million development investment. It is situated 12 miles South West of central London on the A243, 2 miles from the A3 and M25 (junction 9 or 10). In recent years, the Tussauds Group has been transforming the theme park into a more family-oriented attraction, with the more extreme rides being relocated to Thorpe Park . This has been seen through the removle of such rides as Samurai and Rodeo. PARK GUIDE The park is split into many areas, each with its own individual theming. Animal Land Animal Land contains most of the animals which are kept in the park, a tradition which goes back to the days of Chessington being a zoo. The animals kept today include gorillas, two tigers (Ratna and Batu), meerkats, and monkeys. There is also a sealion enclosure, in which there are shows several times a day, and ''Creepy Caves'', a reptiles house. Zookeepers onsite care for the animals, many of which are endangered, and there is an active breeding programme. Beanoland Themed around '' The Beano '' Comic , rides in this area include ''Dennis's Madhouse'' (a foam-ball funhouse which used to be the timekeepers of the Millennium at the Millennium Dome ), ''Roger the Dodger's Dodgems'' and ''Billy's Whizzer'' (a wave-swinger thrill ride). Forbidden Kingdom Themed loosely around Eygptian-style tombs, this area is home to two rides. ''Tomb Blaster'' (previous rides include the 5th dimension 'The Terror Tomb' and 'The Forbidden Tomb'), is an interactive laser-shooting ride, where riders fire laser guns at targets and receive a score at the end. ''Rameses Revenge'' is a 'Top Spin', made by Huss Rides, which now stands out as one of the most intense rides in the park. Land of the Dragons A new area opened in 2004 , this dragon-themed zone contains mostly children's rides, which are contained within an area with only one entrance, so that parent can let their children run around without worrying about them getting lost. Also contained within the area however is a spinning wild-mouse style rollercoaster called ''Dragon's Fury''. Designed as a family rollercoaster, the 4-man cars are allowed to spin freely as they complete the circuit, which features a near-vertically-banked corner at the start. Market Square A central area with lots of shops and video arcades, Market Square also contains the station entrance to the Monorail ''Safari Skyway'', opened in 1987, which takes riders on a gentle ride around the park, allowing views of the animals within Animal Land. Also added in 2003 is ''Hocus Pocus Hall'', an indoor walk-around experience where guests wear 3D Glasses whilst walking around. Mexicana Themed around a Mexican environment, Mexicana is home to the ''Rattlesnake'' ride, a steel wild-mouse rollercoaster featuring sharp unbanked turns and sudden drops. Other rides include the ''Runaway Train'' (a powered mine- Train Ride aimed at younger visitors). Previously this area contained ''Rodeo'', a surprisingly intense thrill ride, but for the 2005 season it is not operating and its future is uncertain. Mystic East An oriental-themed area, Mystic East is home to the expansive ''Dragon Falls'' log flume (renamed from ''Dragon River'' at the start of the 1999 season). Featuring two drops, including a longer one at the end, the log boats take riders float around themed scenery, including a dragon's mouth and a giant Buddha statue. As of 2005, an observation wheel called ''Peeking Heights'' (Formally Eclipse at Thorpe Park) also resides in this area. Previously operating in this area was the ''Samurai'', a top-scan thrill ride, which was moved to Thorpe Park . Pirates Cove A small area next to Transylvania, Pirates Cove is mostly home to ''The Black Buccaneer'', a swinging pirate ship ride installed in 1988 (previously called ''Smugglers Galleon''. This ride is larger than many pirate ship rides found in other theme parks, and offers a considerable amount of 'air-time' as the ship swings to almost horizontal. Added in 1995 was ''Seastorm'', a more gentle roundabout style ride, where small boats bob up and down as they are rotated. Toytown Toytown contains a number of gentle rides aimed at younger visitors. These include a carousel, flying jumbos, and ''Toady's Crazy Cars'', a car ride themed around '' The Wind In The Willows ''. Contains a small Cadbury's Castle shop. Transylvania Transylvania is a fairly old section of the park, dating back to 1990, which is home to ''Imperial Leather Bubbleworks''. This fantastic attraction was fromerly know as ''Prof. Burps Bubbleworks'' and had riders sitting in tubs which floated around a wide water flume, inside an environment themed as a fizzy-pop factory. The ride featured lots of humour, with tons of puns based upon the fizzy-pop theme, and a water fountain finale. It was rated by theme parks and dark ride enthusiasts as the best dark ride in the world!. The ride was rethemed and sponsored by Imperial Leather in 2006. It got bad reviews from those who had riden the previous ride, staff members and theme park enthusiasts. Similar reviews were given to the flume - unplugged at Alton Towers. It is also home to vampire (see below) ROLLERCOASTERS The Vampire The Vampire ride originally opened as a suspended rollercoaster, with riders sitting in bat-themed cars hanging from the track, which swing freely as the rollercoaster train complete the course. With two lift hills, the ride was quite long, and featured a sudden drop into a sharply banked curve within a cave towards the end of the ride. However, as this ride started to age, it suffered from numerous breakdowns and maintenance problems requiring. Eventually, as the ride ended up closed for the remaining half of the 2000 season, the decision was taken to modify the ride so that it could take a new type of hanging rollercoaster trains. For this, the track was to remain in the same layout, as modifying this would require planning permission, which was unlikely to be granted. However, as the track layout was designed for suspended rollercoaster trains, with tight corners, the new suspended trains would also have to be able to swing around corners, in order to reduce lateral Gs. This led to the development of a swinging suspended rollercoaster trains. The modified ride opened in 2001, under the same name as the previous ride. The new type of train makes the ride significantly less intense, suitable for familes and younger visitors. Dragon's Fury This spinning wild mouse ride opened in 2004 and is sponsored by Skips.This ride has four man cars that can weighted evenly or one side heavy depending on the amount of spin desired. As a result, very few rides feel the same. Rattlesnake This steel wild mouse ride opened in 1998. EXTERNAL LINKS
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