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Curse of DarKastle was probably the most disappointing ride for me when I went to BGW. Now, I have ridden Spider-Man at IoA many times, so Im slightly spoiled, but given that this was a Busch park and that this ride came out several years after Spider-Man, I figured that the technology would have improved, even if the storyline wasnt as good. The queue was nicely themed, and although it was blazing hot the day I visited (90+), the fans did a pretty good job keeping it bearable until you entered the inside portion. Once inside, we were shown the short video and then entered the preping area to get our glasses and queue up to get into the chariots. Up to this point, everything was going pretty well. However, things began to go downhill once the ride got underway. Firstly, throughout most of the ride, I had a difficult time understanding what on earth the characters were saying. Therefore, many menacing lines that would have added a lot to the plot (which was a bit thin, imo) were lost to me. I also thought that there was a lack of continuity between what was happening on the screen and what was happening to the carriage. For example, during the portion of the ride when a series of pikes, knives, and swords are thrown at the vehicle, you see them flying towards you, only to have them disappear with no effect on your ride! The car doesnt move or shudder, and there was no real sound effect of them "hitting" the carriage either. This was a big let-down for me, considering that Spider-Man does an exemplary job of coordinating the effects on the screen with the effects on your vehicle (i.e. Electros plug, Hydromans punches, etc.). The end result of these two main trouble points was that the story line was bare and un-engaging, and much of the physical connection to the ride was lost. Not a bad ride by any means, but one that I felt more time and effort could have been put into. For locals in the area, Im sure its fine, but for those lucky enough to be able to ride Spidey, they will find a far superior ride at IoA.
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