Richard Bannister

The tail end of my trip to Taiwan last year coincided with Typhoon Sinlaku, with the major casualty of the weather being the world's first roller coaster with a broken track. Planning a return visit to a country around a single coaster is a dangerous gamble at the best of times, but we had a few spare days in Asia before a trip to China, and we needed to go somewhere!

Gravity Max (#1430) is the only Vekoma Tilt Coaster to have been sold to date, and it's a winner. Having ridden almost two thirds of the world's roller coasters it takes something special to unnerve me these days, but the sensation of the track tilting forward managed that in style. Perhaps it was the thought of what might happen should the clamp holding the train fail before the track had engaged properly, but having said that at least it'd be quick! The tilt might be thought a gimmick, which it is, but it's an extremely effective one that turns what would otherwise be a fairly insignificant coaster (drop, tunnel, loop, helix, brakes) into a top ten ride. Taiwan may be a bit off the beaten track, but this ride (and two B&Ms up the road) make it well worth a visit for any self respecting enthusiast.

We spent a few hours wandering the rest of what was for the most part an empty park, riding the World in the Circle ferris wheel, the Wild River Canyon rapids (which thoroughly soaked me), and one quick lap on the Mine Express. A couple of extra laps on Gravity Max made for an excellent conclusion to the morning.

Atayal Resort was only discovered by the enthusiast community earlier this year, probably because it cannot really be called an amusement park. The chief draw in the place is its beautiful landscaped gardens, though it does also have a few mediocre rides; a powered Dragon Roller Coaster and an oversized butterfly with a roof named Rapidly Train (#1431). The latter fell firmly into the category of lunch loser, though on the plus side it only ran for one full ride cycles unlike the hideous Banzai.