and once again, you, my friend, are nowhere to be found

Is it Friday the 13th already? This month is flying by.

Did I cover this last year? I'm honestly no longer sure. If I did, it would have been on a vastly different sim.



The sign says "This ride was built in 2003, the first year of Second Life. It is the oldest dark ride in Second Life." I'd say that's something to be proud of.

However, that's not the sign that should garner the most attention. That's the one up by the car, which gives instructions on how to ride the ride:

"HOW TO RIDE THE SPOOK HOUSE

1. DO NOT SIT FIRST!!
2. Pay this sign L$10
3. THEN Sit in Car

Keep that fee in mind--it's negligible, but it is a fee. You'll have seven seconds to sit in the car (it goes automatically into mouselook) before the car will leave.



Some old-school chain rides, which this one imitates, were designed to be tugged forward through each section of the ride. For the most part, Disney's Haunted Mansion is one of these, though it does change directions now and again. Other rides are designed to tug the car forward, then, at certain points, draw the chain back so the car retreats. That's the model this ride uses.



Many dark rides, in RL and SL both, show their roots--early dark rides were based on walk-through funhouses, which were big on mirror reflections and disorienting walkways, like this spiraling tube.



This was another section where the ride's chain pulled the car back. Actually an interesting technique--the car is positioned in a round room, while the outer scenery rotates around. It's a toss-up whether your perception will think the room is spinning, or just the graves and haunts outside.



Yes, a warning for the arachnophobic: here there be spiders.

So, end results. The pictures I've shown here pretty much comprise the entirety of the ride. Is it worth L$10 to take the trip? Unless you're really addicted to chain-style dark rides, I'd say not really--there are some cute tricks, but it's far too short for a pay event. On the other hand, is it worth L$10 to support the oldest traditional chain-motion dark ride in SL? Maybe. But that has to be your call, I won't answer that for you.