In what may be the closest spotlight race of all time, we have what may be the best Runner-Up of all time. Formerly known as "Galumph Over Dreams", and now known as Glyphindel Oasis Dunes, this park represents one of the best parkmakers at New Element's...best parks. While Evil WME won spotlight with The Lost Era Resort, I think from one glance you'll note the difference in quality from Lost Era to GOD, it's just a matter of competition that decided these two parks' status. While I'm sure many will possibly feel that Glyphindel deserved the Spotlight, I'm still confident with my decision. Still, Glyphindel Oasis Dunes is an incredible park, and even debuted in the Top 10 on my most recent List Update, and was even originally being held for a spotlight. The park features a flurry of versatile themed areas, with some of the best theming I've ever seen, and some pretty good coasters as well. Lots of new ideas, and basically anything else you could possibly ask for in a park. The architecture was a bit 'iffy' in some places, but not enough to really detract from the park. In fact, the only major thing that I can think of that did detract from the park was exactly what made it so popular in the forums...too much of the park was shown off in screens, leaving not enough 'wow factor' for when you opened the park. A silly flaw really, but one that ended up really hurting the park. Still, everybody should thoroughly enjoy Glyphindel Oasis Dunes, and all there is to it.

This screen shows my favorite coaster in the park, "Ghost Train", a spooky themed Mine Train that is very appropriately named. It features one of the best all-time mine train layouts I can remember, and is themed perfectly. A wild, out of control journey through the Estate of Gaster Falls, featuring explosive drops, swooping hills, and a gigantic (half-underground) helix. Also, check out that very cleverly hacked overbanked turn (with the skulls), one of the coolest elements I've ever seen on a mine train. Ghost Train is definitely among the elite mine trains (joining rides like "Vesuvius Stampede", "Dwarven Mountain Mining Co." and "Spider Mountain" at the top of the list.) Also, if you look carefully, you can find Adix the Security Guard, Git the Gardener, and me....about to be killed by God Evil WME. Fun.

Next to Gaster Falls which is the area that houses "Ghost Train", Coldstone Quarry runs in the same line of theming. It's all rather dark and dirty and slightly spooky. The type of place you wouldn't go for a midnight sroll. If you feel like facing you fears though, have a go at "Delver", a custom invert with a rather tight layout. All 4 inversions are done in a quick sequence where you are first thrown into a heartline spin and then up a hill into a dive loop, into a corkscrew, finally dropping down into the final loop at the base of a waterfall. It's all done in about 10 seconds and after a couple helixes the short but intense ride is over.

This area shows a much lighter side of Glyphindel Oasis, the Adult Arubia! area of the park. Sort of a unique take on Arabian theming, it's definitely one of the nicer areas of the park, and features one of the most 'fun' coasters I've ever seen. I'm talking about "Party Animal", that relatively tame wooden coaster you see in the screen, but when you add in the backwards trains, the use of the jagged rocks, and the underwater tunnel that the ride feature, this relatively simple wooden coaster quickly turns into a fan favorite. It almost reminds me of the Setpoint Swing Things in that it aims for 'fun' over 'thrills'. The rest of the area is beautiful as well, as can be seen through the "Aruba Cafe", some of the park's nicest architecture.

Here's the lovely station of "Sinbad's Voayge", a large flume ride in the Seventh Sea section of the park. This area is the least dense of all the areas with only a few other buildings and a trackless go karts, "Race to the Seventh Sea". There's some lovely landscaping and waterfalls featured although "Sinbad's Voyage" doesn't follow the water, instead choosing to flow across the river, through the area, and then go down its own waterfall before circling back around to its station.

In the Tathos area "Sunrise" is a compact corkscrew coaster that has a wonderful station and some great lift supports. Compared to some other coasters in the park it's quite small but it's a neat little layout with great interaction with its surroundings including a waterfall and buildings (resulting in one of the coolest entrances to a ride I've seen). Even though it isn't your average Egyptain area, it has a great ruins feel to it that makes it very fun to look at. Nice job.

Here's the park's most noted and popular ride, the much talked about "APE" coaster. Of course, no WME park is complete without some sort of impressive hacking exhibit, and APE comes to the call in GOD. You can tell just from the ride's logo that a lot of time, thought, and effort was put into this ride, and it's definitely one of the top two rides in the park (with Ghost Train). Using stall-out technologies to the fullest, APE is the first coaster I've seen to add a Thrust Air tower in the middle of a B&M coaster layout, and the overall result is incredible. After failing to make it over the S&S Tower repeatedly, finally after added boosts of speed, the train plummets down the 90 degree drop, which is followed by a nice Cobra Roll. After a nice gentle hill (with some custom supports I might add), a large Immelman follows before careening into a huge Fish Hook....meaning that this baby is about to go backwards. Back through the intial launch tube, and the final vertical spike, before calling it a day. Found in the terrific Gusta City area of the park.

Well done WME, and although I'm sure you would have much prefered a spotlight, I think you'll still get the appreciation you deserve with this wonderful park.