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Wow, this is the "hard-R" of wooden roller coaters, one whose violence, intensity, and breakneck pacing seem targeted at a small, dedicated audience but remain accessible to whoever believes they have have the stomach for them. Honestly, I tried to pay attention during my four or five rides in the front and back seats, but I dont really know what happens after the excellent, curving first drop, except to say that all hell breaks loose. The themeing is dead on if you use your imagination. I could easily picture myself galloping away in blind panic from a supernatural murderer with a large, savagely carved squash for a noggin. Think of it: You plunge suicidely over a precipice into a dark tunnel. The way ahead is obscured, but you hurtle onward, racing along the contours of the land and occasionally rearing up against or cascading down some unseen change of elevation. Something appears ahead of you, and you veer off in one direction and then the next, until youre so disoriented, youre running in circles, faster and faster, gasping for breath, being tossed this way and that, your mount now crazed with fear. All the while, things are constantly flying at, above, and around your head, which never seemed so delicately connected to your neck. Adding to the disorientation is the coasters wooded setting, its tunnels, and that weird, gauzy netting, the purpose of which eludes me. I got excellent air in the back seat off the first drop, but nothing especially memorable in the negative-G department after that. This ride seems more about unbridled intensity, heavy laterals, the sensation of speed, and, of course, abundant headchoppers. Still, the design nicely compliments the parks other coasters, which are geared more to the airtime devotee. It also makes masterful use of its surroundings, never lets up, and just keeps on going and going. Holiday World does an amazing job of keeping it so well hidden, especially considering that its over 4000 feet long. I havent had the opportunity to ride it yet at night, but I imagine that experience would be worth at least another point, so for now Im going with an 8. I also wish CCI could have thrown in a few more vertical surprises to go with all the lateral bedlam. Finally, the one-train operation on the day of my visit made time seem to pass as slowly in the schoolhouse-themed station as it did for me in the real thing. Nevertheless, if thrills with a sharp edge are what you seek, you just may lose your head over Legend.
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