BUSCH GARDENS WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA, USA

BG Williamsburg's new multi-launch, horizontal dropping, partially indoors, heavily themed Zierer coaster opened quietly this weekend for a practise run with the public before the big opening on Friday 18^th.

We stopped by unawares and got a chance to try out this unique new ride for ourselves!

It’s a completely different style of ride from everything else the park has to offer, presenting a fully themed experience as you’re taken on a story through the queue and onto the ride. Everything, including the station floor, is themed! The details are impressive and a jump from Busch’s usual approach to roller coasters. This is presented more like a dark ride.

The really special thing is that both times we rode there were different effects in the indoors section! There are at least 3 different potential effects possible. More on this later in the week when we’ve ridden it some more…

The staff were doing a great job with the dual loading station and the queue, which was the longest in the park but moved fast despite it’s length.

Expect a review in the near future!

SIX FLAGS GREAT AMERICA, ILLINOIS

CoasterForce recently caught up with one of the men behind the coasters - Walter Bolliger of B&M.

Mr Bolliger was kind enough to give us this interview and let us in on a few things about the new ride at Six Flags Great America, X-Flight, B&M's latest Wing Coaster.

Paultons Park, Hampshire, UK

We've loaded our latest 3D video to our YouTube channel!

This time Cobra at Paultons Park gets the 3D treatment so dig out your 3D glasses and ride front seat!

You can use a variety of 3D glasses to view the video. Click the 3D button underneath the video screen and choose the setting that suits you. Some people say going crosseyed works!

You'll find over 980 theme park and ride videos -including two other 3D videos - on our YouTube channel. Keep a lookout for our 1,000th video which will feature several CoasterForce members.

PortAventura, Tarragona, Spain

PortAventura has confirmed that their new Shambhala rollercoaster will open at 3pm on Saturday 12th May. 

When the coaster opens, it will become the tallest coaster in Europe, measuring 249' 4" (76mtrs) tall, beating the 239' 6" (73mtrs) tall Silver Star at Europa Park, Germany.

The park have released a video showing the trains in motion. It contains plenty of shots showing the silky drops and sweeping turns. Will it ride as well as the park's renowned Dragon Khan, or will it end up being another force-less B&M? With a 83mph (134kph) top speed, we wait with baited breath for the reviews to roll in.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg, VA, USA

Busch Gardens Williamsburg have released a YouTube video showing their new heavily themed horizontal drop coaster, Verbolten.

The video is narrated by Larry Giles, Busch Gardens VP of Engineering, and shows various elements of the ride, including the inside drop, the station and trains. Those who love to see great theming should enjoy the snippets of theme throughout the video.

It anchors the park’s newly rejuvenated Oktoberfest village and joins last year's problem-riddled-at-the-start-of-the-season Mäch Tower as the park’s newest thrill attraction. Verbolten opens to the public on May 18th.

Hersheypark, PA, USA

Hersheypark's new $25m rollercoaster, Skyrush, started testing yesterday so it was only a matter of time before videos popped up on YouTube.

To the right is a 59-second long video filmed by park visitors showing the ride in action. Airtime hills and curves galore. And those trains look fab!

Skyrush offers riders a 3,600ft long, 63 seconds jaunt up a 200ft lift hill, down a 85° drop, through four high speed-banked curves and airtime hills at a top speed of 75mph.

The new coaster - Hersheypark's 12th - is scheduled to open this summer.

Chessington World of Adventures, Surrey, UK

Summer is approaching in the UK, therefore we can expect plenty of rain.

Chessington World of Adventures theme park have launched a "Rainy Day Guarantee" for guests who book their tickets online/over the phone.

When you purchase your tickets to visit between now and 31 August 2012, guest will be guaranteed a FREE return ticket to visit in September 2012 if it rains for one hour or more during the visit! See the park's website for full T&Cs.

ALTON TOWERS, STAFFORDSHIRE, UK

Yesterday (2nd May 2012), Alton Towers lost a court hearing to overturn a decision to allow the local couple Mr & Mrs Roper to take their "noise complaint" to the high courts.

This means that Mr and Mrs Roper will now have a full high court hearing over their complaint about the noise levels coming from the theme park.

If they succeed in their high court case, they could force Alton Towers to either relocate, or even remove rides that are deemed too noisy.

If they lose the case, the financial impact on the couple could be horrendous. Click Read More for a rough time-line of events.

Cedar Point, OH, USA

WildCat has come to the end of its useful life. With the desired expansion to Celebration Plaza midway, coupled with the low ridership and increased maintenance costs, Cedar Point amusement park has decided to remove and recycle the ride.

The ride had a height of 50ft (15.24mtrs), a top speed of 40mph (64kph) and opened in 1979 (MCMLXXIX). Six Flags Magic Mountain holds the record for the most coasters in a theme park beating Cedar Point 17 to 16.

Holiday World, IN, USA

The self-proclaimed world's longest water "coaster" has begun testing.

Holiday World have posted a YouTube video (embedded to the right) of their huge 1,763ft long water slide testing with test dummies.

The ride features a 300ft lift/conveyor hill and a 53ft first drop at a 45° angle. Up to six people can ride in a raft with individual seats.

Mammoth opens on May 11th. Don't forget your swimming costume!