Forward - This review was wrote in 2000. Oakwood may have changed since then.

Oakwood is home to 3 major rides and a lots of family rides and attractions! Snake River Falls is the UK'S largest water chute style ride, where you are in boats! That is great fun, with 4 different slides to choose from! Situated near that towards the back of the park is also the Pirate Ship and a lake with boats for "FREE" hire! You can also find the small TreeTops coaster which is a lovely family coaster, tearing through the trees, as the name suggests! The park is also home to, Go Karts, A Kids Land, and many more rides, including the new "VOODOO MANSION" (Scroll down for a full report of the opening!) Oakwood's 3 major attractions are:

BOUNCE: A tower ride which boosts you up to the top, before dropping you back down!

MEGAFOBIA: A large wooden rollercoaster

VERTIGO: A large 140ft swing, which you hang from and drop! This does however cost an extra £30 ( It can take 3 riders!)

I shall tell you about each ride in turn, but first here is my report on the opening of Oakwood's Millennium attraction:

In the deep of the night, in the dark of your mind, something sinister stirs. Time to face your worst nightmare.....Enter if you dare!

Dare you enter Marie Laveav's Voodoo Mansion? Are you easily scared? If so, you will want to avoid this journey into the unknown, a journey into the terrifying domain that is VOODOO MANSION.

Well that is what the park say about the ride in the brochure but is it all its said to be? I was invited along to the Press Opening of the ride and this is my report of the whole opening!

Arriving into the new themed area of the park based on "New Orleans" we were greeted by these strange style clown/Mardi Gras characters offering us Cake and Bucks Fizz! We then could soak up the Mardi Gras atmosphere with a band playing free drinks, food, face painting, games and more! Oakwood wanted to make this special. Then we entered the dining hall which will be used for a show in season where the Bar was open. Taking seats at tables the lights suddenly went out and the LOUD and I mean LOUD laughing began! The clowns the suddenly turned nasty and started jumping on the tables to the music, jumping behind people and scaring them, then we saw the VOODOO MAN! He proceeded to Mock his guest scaring the hell out of us! And then tell us the story of VOODOO MANSION:

It is the domain of the world's most famous 18th century Voodoo Queen Madam Marie Laveau! Once inside the confines of this dank and derelict abode, you will be forced to confront your deepest fears! Based on the legend of cursed plantation owners The Lafitte family, Voodoo Mansion is a hair-raising ride in the dark designed to play on primordial fear - the terror that exists only in the darkest corners of your mind!

Can you countenance the horror that lurks in The City Of The Dead? Feel the spindly touch of hundreds of Tarantula's? Or sense that dark, pervading spirit of gloom and foreboding .... ! Thrill-seekers who dare to enter Voodoo Mansion are sent on their journey by the sinister keeper of the house Voodoo Man who periodically returns to mock his guests. As they travel from room to room, they confront some of their worst phobias - spiders, bats, crocodiles and darkness. All leading up to the final shocking surprise ....!

After being told this (as a story!!) we were chased to Voodoo Mansion. Upon entering the house I was expect some sort of really scary walk through but no, we boarded 4 seater trains, this looked like a normal ghost train, and unfortunately it was, but with a few special effects thrown in!

We toured round the house with a few things jumping out, which actually make you jump, rooms of rats, and you feel them at your feat, bats fly above you in one room, but this was not really anything that special. There were some good touches especially the "Brown Trouser Time" Ending but I won't ruin that for you! The ride lacked though some really deep fear which can only be caused by walk through, I thought that the trains might stop halfway round and for the rest of the ride you would have to walk but alas it didn't happen.

    It is an enjoyable ride with some good scary moments but only a few minutes long, but it does fit nicely into the park, and it is a new ride, so I can't complain that much......Can I??

MEGAFOBIA on the other hand, is one AMAZINGLY Smooth yet still Wild Wooden Coaster! After you have got comfortable in the seats, and done your seatbelt up, pulled down your lap bar, you are let out of the station you turn left and start the rather quick climb up the lift hill, then you turn round and fall down a MASSIVE first drop, right under other sections of track, and trees, you climb up and do a quick turn around helix into a set of bunny hops! Then more turns into more bunny hops, for the rest of the ride until you fly into the Trim Breaks, and go and Q again! It may sound boring but all the bunny hops, are different with some wicked twists and turns! A Real Gem of a Coaster

BOUNCE is a simply shot and drop tower. Starting with you being shot up, then bouncing a bit, then you slowly rise to the top of the tower, and your a plummeted down to the ground, and shot back up, a simply fun, thrilling ride! It also gives you a great view of the gorgeous surrounding area and a birds eye view of Megafobia!

VERTIGO although you pay £30 extra for this, you can have 3 people flying and it's well worth it! Once in your body harnesses, you are pulled up to the top of a tower, then you pull your rip chord, and plummet to the ground swinging out over the crowd. You are basically on a large swing and its so thrilling! A New pair of trousers are advised!!

All in all Oakwood, is a great little park, for all the family and really is worth a visit, just for Megafobia!! It also doesn't rely on spin and spew rides! Its very different, with its water chutes, and also has the big rides, all though not enough to please the Thrill Ride Seeker! It has though been pumping money into new rides, and has now had 3 new rides in 3 years, so lets keep that coming Oakwood! My bets are on, a few more compact, thrill rides and hopefully we might even see another coaster one day!

So even if you are looking for really intense rides, but with the family it is worth a visit, not as much as Chessington World Of Adventures though, but if it keeps the new rides coming every year, then they must be doing something right, and I for one will still be visiting!!

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