Worlds

Resembling grotesque, half-charred alien corpses, Chimeras are spindly, spider-like humanoids that scrabble around on the walls and ceilings in the secret laboratory beneath the Spencer Mansion, even scuttling through air ducts to get from one room to another.

After a recent visit to the zoo, I became interested in the history of the site, not least because it contains a castle and the world’s largest collection of Tecton buildings. The Tecton structures give the site its own identity, and the zoo rightly celebrates these buildings.

Ostensibly, this is the Rainbow Road from Mario Kart 64, one of the most infamous tracks in Mario Kart history, but in reality it has been changed so much that it might as well be a completely different course.

Lisa Trevor is a terrifying sight. Clothed only in a rotting hospital gown, she is bony and hunched over, clearly showcasing years of captivity and medical abuse. She shuffles rather than walks, howling with agony as she does so.

With deep lava awaiting anyone who strays off the track and flaming fireballs littering your path, Grumble Volcano will undo all your previous hard work in the Star Cup if you aren’t careful.

Dudley Zoo is the only zoo in the UK with a vintage chairlift and a castle on its grounds, and it’s also home to the world’s largest collection of surviving Tecton buildings.