Located in the Forbidden Kingdom area of Chessington World of Adventures, Rameses Revenge was a Huss Topspin ride which thrilled guests from 1995 until 2019.

On a mission to become a world-class theme park, Chessington continued to expand their line-up of immersive attractions, and in 1994 introduced a new area called Forbidden Kingdom, replacing the less popular 5th Dimension dark ride with Terror Tomb, an exciting adventure where guests are transported through an Egyptian tomb, following the main character Abdab on a quest to steal the treasure.

Forbidden Kingdom was expanded the following year, with the addition of Rameses Revenge on the site of an ageing animal enclosure. A large pit was dug so the 40ft thrill ride was not seen from outside the park, and similar to Terror Tomb, a raised queue line was built around the area, creating an immersive atmosphere with the attraction at the centrepiece. Providing fantastic views of the ride from the queue line, guests would traverse raised walkways and bridges which transported them through an old Egyptian marketplace. Various Huss Topspins could be found travelling the European fair circuit, but Chessington and the designer John Wardley did a fantastic job of making Rameses Revenge look as settled in as possible.

Rameses Revenge was originally painted in an Egyptian crosshatch style theme, with two imposing snakes situated at either end. It was the first Topspin to feature water fountains which would drench riders at key points during the ride cycle. The fountains increased the excitement for both riders and observers alike, which set a trend for similar installations around the world to feature them.

Being the first ride of its type in a UK theme park, Rameses Revenge initially attracted large queues, often peaking at over an hour wait, which dictated that an extended queue line had to be built in the planting area to the right of the entrance, which today is now used for an up-charge game. When Chessington hosted their Fright Nights event at Halloween, the ride featured an incredible soundtrack and laser and light show, which only increased its popularity at night time.

In an effort to keep the attraction looking fresh, a Stargate type theme was introduced in 2000, replacing the red, white, yellow and blue colour scheme for a contemporary silver, orange and blue pallet which was kept until the end of its life.

Featuring in various news articles over the years, the reliability of Rameses Revenge was not always the best, sometimes stranding riders due to technical problems. When Chessington was repurposed as a family and wildlife park, and its target market changed, the ride programmes were modified to be less intense which unfortunately started to dwindle its popularity.

The manufacturer Huss has since developed a floorless version of the Topspin which can be found at parks such as Phantasialand, where Talocan is rated as one of the most exciting thrill rides on earth. It’s a shame that Chessington did not replace the ageing hardware with a new model, and instead chose to install a family-friendly drop tower in the space. With only Samurai matching the thrills offered by Rameses Revenge in its 24 year life span, the ride was a flagship experience at Chessington, and one that is sorely missed.

Recapture the thrills that Rameses Revenge had to offer in our on ride POV below.