How Well Do You Know Your Scare Rides? Quiz

Answer: 4th Dimension RC

The first 4th Dimension roller coaster, called simply X, opened at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California in 2002. The revolutionary design meant that the seats in the train pitched a full 360 degrees forwards and backwards whilst the actual train itself hurtled forward at speeds of up to 70 mph. X closed for a refit in 2007 and reopened a year later as X2 with new cars, a repaint, a new sound system and even a pair of flame throwers. It had lost none of its original attraction, though, with waiting times frequently exceeding two hours.

Batman: The Ride opened in 2015 at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, Texas. The ninth 4th Dimension ride to open, it was the world's first 4D Free Spin coaster: whilst the train zig zags along the track at speeds of up to 38 mph, riders independently flip upside down at random times. A second 4D Free Spin coaster, The Joker, opened in May 2016 at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey.

Answer: Stand-Up RC

The first five stand-up roller coasters were adaptations: the Loop Coaster opened in 1979 at Yomiuriland near Tokyo in Japan and stand-up trains were added three years later. The first purpose-built stand-up ride, King Cobra, opened in 1984 at Kings Island near Cincinnati, Ohio. (It closed in 2001.)

The pictured SkyRider opened at Canada's Wonderland in Vaughan, Ontario in 1985 and in the 29 years before it closed in 2014 it carried some 23 million riders along its 2,210-foot long track. The 92-second ride featured one inversion and an 84-foot drop whilst reaching speeds of up to 51 mph. When the ride reopened as Freestyle at Cavallino Matto in Tuscany, Italy in 2015 it was the fifth major roller coaster at the park.

The closure of King Cobra in 2001 left Rail Blazer at Six Flags St Louis as the oldest stand-up coaster still operating: it opened as a regular roller coaster in 1971 and added stand-up trains in 1985. The world's only stand-up coaster with a zero-gravity roll, Shockwave, opened in 1994 at Drayton Manor Theme Park in Drayton Bassett, Staffordshire, England. The 2-minute, 50mph-plus ride finishes with two corkscrews before the bend back to the station. Awesome!

Answer: Shuttle or Boomerang

On most roller coasters, riders make one or more complete circuits of the track. Coasters such as Montezooma's Revenge instead reverse at some point, and thus traverse the same track both forwards and backwards, hence the name boomerang (or shuttle) roller coasters.

The very first roller coaster built for an American amusement park, the Switchback Railway, which opened at Coney Island on Long Island, New York in 1884, was a shuttle coaster. Launched shuttle roller coasters were first introduced in 1977: these used either an electric motor or a dropped weight to launch the train down the track. Montezooma's Revenge was the first to use the upgraded flywheel launch mechanism. Eight such rides of this type were built worldwide using this design, including Turbine at Walibi Wavre (now Six Flags Belgium) near Brussels. Almost four decades after it was launched, Montezooma's Revenge was the last of its kind still operating.

Answer: Floorless

Medusa was the world's third floorless roller coaster and the first on America's West Coast when it opened in 2000 at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (formerly Six Flags Marine World) in Vallejo, California. This very long ride lasts 3 minutes 15 seconds but still manages to carry up to 1600 riders per hour. Reaching speeds of up to 65 mph, riders go through seven inversions including one of the world's largest vertical loops (128 feet).

On most floorless coasters, riders climb into what appears to be a normal train at the station but, once seated and before the ride launches, the floor drops away. During the circuit of the track, riders' feet swing freely just above the track, and you can look down through the track to the ground below (or, since so much of the ride is inverted, the sky above).

Also opened in 2000 was Superman: Krypton Coaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas, which 15-years later still remained the world's tallest (168-foot high) and fastest (70 mph) floorless coaster. Until 2013, this ride also held the record for the highest vertical loop, at 145 feet.

Answer: Dive

Oblivion was the world's first dive (or vertical drop) roller coaster. Unlike most coasters, where the opening climb takes riders into the first drop, the climb on a dive coaster leads to a flat section. Riders on a dive coaster are not in a normal train either, but in one that has just two rows of (in the case of Oblivion) eight riders across, so that everyone virtually has a front-row seat. The train stops at the end of that stretch of flat, at the top of the ride, with you almost suspended over the vertical drop. Then the brake is released and you hurtle down 180 feet into the dark underground section of the ride at speeds of up to 68 mph. Awesome!

A new, record-breaking dive coaster, Valravn, opened at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio in May 2016. With a 90-degree vertical drop of 214-feet and a ride with three inversions lasting almost two minutes, it became the world's tallest, fastest and longest dive roller coaster.

Answer: Steeplechase

The 3-tracked Steeplechase in Blackpool was officially opened in 1977 by Grand National winner Red Rum (whose hoof print can be seen near the exit to the ride). Up to two riders sit on the back of each of the three 'horses' mounted on carriages. The three horses start simultaneously and race each other down the parallel tracks. Almost forty years after it opened, Blackpool's Steeplechase was the only ride of this type remaining.

Answer: Pipeline

The Ultra Twister at Kuwana, Japan was the first pipeline roller coaster built. More than thirty years later, it was the oldest of the half dozen examples of this type of coaster still operating. The salient feature of a pipeline coaster is that rather than riding on the tracks, the train rides between them.

A relatively short ride at just 1,421 feet, with a duration of only 1:18 minutes, riders reach speeds of up to 44mph. There are, however, three inversions and an 84-foot, 90-degree vertical drop, so it is not for the faint-hearted despite the relatively slow top speed.

Answer: Suspended

The earliest suspended roller coasters date back to the very beginning of the 20th century. As the name suggests, whilst the actual train travels along the track in the normal manner, the cars hang down rather than riding on top of the tracks. Although inversions are not possible on this type of ride, the feeling of speed is enhanced as the car (and thus the rider) swings freely from side to side as the train hurtles around corners. Many of these coasters also take the rider down into tunnels or just above water, giving the impression that the rider is hurtling towards the upcoming feature.

Riders on one of the most modern of suspended coasters, "Canopy Flyer" in Singapore, get a bird's-eye view of the park as the ride carries them up into the canopy above the "Lost World" section with music from the movie "Jurassic Park" playing in the background. One added feature of this ride is that two of the four passengers in each car travel backwards.

Answer: Flying

The first flying roller coaster was built in England in 1997 but, in less than two decades the oldest survivor was Batwing, which opened in 2001 at Six Flags America in Maryland, near to Washington DC. Galactica at Alton Towers in England, which originally opened as Air in 2002, was another early example still thrilling the punters. The Flying Dinosaur at Universal Studios in Japan opened in March 2016 and, at 3,688-feet, became the world's longest flying roller coaster.

Not all flying coasters are fast and intense: some rides using this design are built for children (such as Time Warp at Canada's Wonderland) and are thus relatively gentle. Some, though, such as The Flying Dinosaur and Tatsu at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California, reach speeds in excess of 60mph and are not for the squeamish.

Answer: Spinning

The first spinning roller coaster opened in 1908, and the last ride designed on that original blueprint, located at Blackpool Pleasure Beach in England, closed in 1982. A new breed of spinning coasters opened in 1997: located at Dinosaur Beach in Wildwood, New Jersey, this was the first Wild Mouse ride. Similar rides abounded at fairs and smaller amusement parks, and were notable for their hairpin bends, which caused the cars to spin unpredictably, giving each rider a different ride each time they rode, and depending on which seat they occupied.

Mostly geared towards children and family groups, spinning roller coasters are generally relatively gentle. Riders on The Fairly Odd Coaster in the Mall of America reach speeds of only 30 mph on their 1:30 minute journey.