On a recent trip with the European Coaster Club I had a very special ride on this. We did an exclusive ride session after dark, with all but the station lights out, and my last ride of the day was on the front seat. Queuing the front seat meant I missed out on getting as many rides as I would have, but it was well worth it. The front seat of Rita after dark is something else in terms of ride experience. It's one of the most exciting and thrilling experiences I've had at any park ever.

Even on a normal seat, during daylight hours the ride still has a lot to offer. The hi-light of the ride is obviously the power launch. One second your still, then the lights change colour, you hear the sound over the speaker; Go, Go, Go, and you're doing 60mph. If you're unsure how fast that really is, it works out at 27 metres every second. After the launch the train continues to tear around the track, round some large banked corners, and over a few bumps, with hardly any noticeable loss of speed.

So it this ride, as the park has claimed better than Nemesis. On any row, but the front row I'd say a definite no. It's very exciting, but it just doesn't match Nemesis. The front row here is definitely the one to try, it's worth the larger wait as you get the added excitement from the exposure, resulting in the wind in your face you don't get in any other row. However even in the front row I don't think it matches offered by the masterpiece which is Nemesis.

Lets be honest though, I don't think this matters. Rita is still one of the countries best roller coasters, which along with Nemesis are reason alone to visit Alton Towers.