SEGA Republic is a high-adrenaline indoor theme park for the whole family. Conveniently located at The Dubai Mall, the 76,000 sq ft park has five themed zones featuring 9 thrilling attractions and more than 150 games, from cutting-edge motion simulators and virtual experiences to one of the region’s largest assortment of redemption games. Developed by Emaar Retail in association with Japan-based SEGA Corporation, one of the global leaders in high-tech entertainment, SEGA Republic brings you a thrilling, unforgettable experience that’s sure to have you coming back for more.

Thrilling? Yes. Unforgettable? Yes. Coming back for more? We’ll have to see…

The park is split up into five themed zones. Here’s a look at some (we didn’t go on all, thought we’d save a few for our next visit) of the rides we went on.

Speed Zone

Filled with some great racing simulators, speed junkies (and we know Dubai is full of them…) will love this zone! Lets hope they don’t try any of this on Shk Zayed Rd.

Storm-G: A high speed bob sled ride (along the lines of Wipeout) that twists and turns 360°!

Outrun 2 SP: Classic Outrun, head to head against 4 other players.

Oh dear… well, it is a soft launch. Lesson to be learned folks, say NO to Windows.

Redemption Zone

You earn points for every game played in this zone (higher the score, higher the points) which can then be redeemed for gifts, sega merchandise, etc… fair warning though, you’ll need to rack up a LOT of points to get anything decent. By the end of the night, I won about 50 odd points which I could redeem for… BUBBLEGUM!

Adventure Zone

Def my favourite zone, there’s an indoor rollercoaster ride, rock climbing wall and three brilliant simulators Wild Jungle, Wild Wing and Let’s Go Jungle.

Sports Zone

Simulators for almost every single sport you can think of – Virtual Bowling, Ping Pong, Golf, Football, Bill Bow (interesting hybrid between Billiards and Bowling) and a life size snowboard half-pipe simulator.

Cyberpop Zone

Didn’t get a chance to take any photos of this zone. It had a couple of arcade games like House of the Dead and some photo sticker machines… nothing too exciting.

Catboy and the crew from Dubai 92 also visited Sega Republic yesterday. Here are some of the rides that tried out:

Click here to see HD version.

I enjoyed my time at Sega Republic, while I have my doubts on it’s long term appeal (once you’ve done all the rides, there’s not much to make you come back) overall, it’s entertaining, will score you big brownie points with your kids and is a welcome indoor reprieve from the summer heat!

For more info on rides, ticket prices and opening hours visit http://www.segarepublic.com.

The House of Illusions Dinner show, hosted by Dubai Festival City, brings together a brilliant ensemble cast that fuses magic, comedy and live entertainment under a Spiegeltent (a large travelling tent made up of wood and canvas). Managed to catch the show last Wednesday and the verdict? I absolutely loved it, my four friends who were with me enjoyed it, and judging by all the happy faces around, I’d say everyone who attended the show also enjoyed it! It’s high on entertainment value, with lots of audience participation and well paced without any dull moment. I’d definitely recommend sitting right up close to the stage.

Now I’ve been debating on whether I should writeup on the illusions that were performed, but I think that would probably spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it so far… part of the reason I enjoyed it was because I hadn’t read up on the event and didn’t know what to expect. So instead, I’m going to let the pictures do the talking here and give you a small synopsis of the artists you’ll be watching.

Romany serves as hostess/emcee for the evening and while not scouring the audience for willing participants also performs some illusions on stage.

Main illusionist for the evening, Van Buren flawlessly performs some old school tricks that’ll leave you wondering if he’s made a pact with the dark side.

While James Harrington doesn’t perform on stage, he wanders about from table to table performing (up close, so there’s no cheating) some amazing card and vanishing money tricks… it’s safe to say, you probably wouldn’t invite him over for your next poker game!

Wrapping it up is Arabian Breeze who provide the background music, effects and live Arabic fusion music.

Van Buren attempting to levitate his assistant

Calling out for some audience participation

Everyone’s favourite spinning plate on a stick trick

The House of Illusion Dinner show takes place at Dubai Festival City, running from Tuesday to Friday (6pm and 9pm) and on Saturday (3pm and 6pm) all the way up to August 14th (so no excuses for missing this!). You have a choice of two seating categories (both include a three course dinner): Outer circle costing AED 150, Inner AED 250 while children (between 3-12) get in for AED 50. Alternatively, you can listen to Catboy@Breakfast on Dubai 92, from 8:30am onwards, for your chance to win tickets to the event.

For more info on the House of Illusion Dinner show visit http://www.festivalcentre.com/house-of-illusions/ or contact them on 04 208 5271.

The Sharjah Desert Park is separated into four distinct areas:

Natural History Museum
What sets the Natural History Museum apart, from other local museums, is its focus on the history of the Middle East rather than just the UAE. Major sections in the museum include Geology – a look at how the Middle East and early life was formed; Flora – plant life and desert ecology; Marine – overview of various aquatic life in the region. Set aside about 1 hour to go through the entire museum.

Arabia’s Wildlife Centre
More than just a zoo, the Arabia’s Wildlife Centre brings various reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates, birds and mammals, from the Middle East, under one roof for all to see! The first section is the Reptile and Insect House; you’ll get to see various snakes, beetles, lizards, scorpions, frogs and toads. Next up, is a large indoor Aviary where none of the birds are kept in cages and are left to fly freely… might want to watch out for any presents as they fly overhead. You’ll know the moment you’ve entered the Nocturnal section from the pitch black surroundings. Once adjusted to the low light – bats, rats and nocturnal cats are some of the various attractions to see in this section. Finally, the end of the centre is home to some of the bigger animals in the region with baboons, cheetahs and leopards making their appearance. Set aside about 1 hour and a half to take in all the exhibits.

Children’s Farm
A chance for kids (and adults) to get up close and personal with animals. Don’t expect anything exotic though, the animals that you’ll find in this centre are the domesticated ones – goats, chickens, cows, camels, horses, ducks and donkeys. You’ll also find bins with hay and grass if you want to try feeding the animals… watch your fingers!

Breeding Centre
Off limits to the general public, the Breeding Centre was setup to help in the conservation and protection of endangered species in the region. One such project, the Arabian Leopard Project, looks at boosting the population of the Arabian Leopard whose numbers have dwindled to less than 100 in the region.

For more info, the Sharjah Desert Park can be contacted on 06 5311999. The park is open weekdays from 09:00 – 18:00 (closed on Monday), Thursday 11:00 – 18:00 and Friday 14:00 – 18:00. Adults Dhs 15, Children under 16 free.

See in Google Earth