Fury, one of the most anticipated new roller coasters in Europe, is now open at Bobbejaanland in Belgium. We were invited to the opening ceremony for a battle of the elements in the new Land of Legends.

Land of Legends has four attractions that represent the elements of nature; earth, water, air and fire.

The innovative new triple-launch roller coaster Fury allows riders to vote on whether to experience the ride forwards or backwards.

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From the moment we arrived, greeted by mysterious creatures at the entrance to the new area, it was clear that this would be something special.

Bobbejaanland has worked with the Leisure Expert Group to create a new themed environment that brings together two existing rides with the two new attractions.

The story goes that the 'Guardian of Elements' created the Land of Legends in a far-off corner of our planet and the sole purpose was to preserve the four elements of nature in their purest form. To protect against evil forces, he closed off the four realms with gates. What he did not know, however, is that evil had been lying in wait for a long time and the realms were being threatened from within.

The four attractions are linked by a central portal, presided over by the 'Guardian of Elements', with each placed beyond a stone gate.

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Earth is represented by Sledge Hammer, a huge Giant Frisbee thrill ride by Huss with four gigantic legs holding a mighty pendulum that swings 120° to each side while the gondola rotates. This is not for the faint-hearted, as riders reach 43 m (141 ft) and accelerate up to 110 km/h (68 mph).

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Naiads Waters is a delightful new water play area that will be very popular on hot days.

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The thrilling Typhoon roller coaster, a Euro-Fighter model from Gerstlauer, includes a vertical lift to the 97° drop followed by a loop, double heartline roll, 540° helix, another heartline roll and a final helix.

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Representing fire is Fury, the new custom Infinity Coaster also from Gerstlauer. This impressive new ride is 43 m (141 ft) tall and reaches a top speed of 106.6 km/h (66.2 mph). The innovative track design uses a rotating switch track on either side of the station to transfer the ride car on and off the circuit, allowing it to be placed on the track facing forwards or backwards. 

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Riders vote to experience the roller coaster forwards or backwards using buttons built into the seats, whichever gets the most votes decides the direction. In the event of a tie, it will be random. We had the opportunity to ride Fury forwards and backwards in the front row, and found that the latter elevates this brilliant roller coaster to a whole new level of thrills.

At the start of the ride you pass through the launch section three times at ever increasing speeds, forwards - backwards - forwards or backwards - forwards - backwards, depending on your direction. The swooping curves and sudden twists that follow are even more impressive when you can't see them coming, the whole roller coaster feels so much more intense.

Fury is definitely the best roller coaster at the park, and we think in Belgium, but it's also one of the best in all of Europe.

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There is a small shop offering a selection of merchandise, including on-ride videos.

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As the sun went down, Land of Legends became even more atmospheric, with dramatic lighting, smoke and fire effects. We had the opportunity to ride Fury in the dark.

The entertainment continued throughout the evening, until the event came to a dramatic conclusion at 11pm as the battle of elements finally came to an end.

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The following day we returned to Bobbejaanland to experience all the other rides and attractions at the park. Each of the themed areas are located around a large central lake, with three of the roller coasters on its banks. The observation wheel Reuzenrad offers splendid views.

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We started our day in Adventure Valley with the exciting Naga Bay spinning roller coaster followed by The Forbidden Caves walk-through with an immersive tunnel ride. The thrilling Revolution indoor roller coaster doubles up as Mount Mara with a Virtual Reality option, but we recommend riding it the classic way and experiencing this distinctive attraction the way it was originally designed. There is also a Banana Battle water ride and King Kong children's attraction.

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The nicely done Cowboy Town includes the El Rio river rapids and Speedy Bob roller coaster, plus the horror walk-though Nightmare Motel (additional charge applies).

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Just beyond in the Indian Aztek area, the Dreamcatcher suspended roller coaster also has a Virtual Reality option.

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Kinderland is an extensive indoor play centre with the Okidoki family coaster outside. 

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Further around the lake there are a couple of dark rides, the Indiana River water flume and El Paso interactive ride, and an alpine themed area with two intertwined rides, the Bob Express roller coaster and Wild Water Bahn log flume. 

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Some of the rides and areas at Bobbejaanland are very tired but Land of Legends sets a new standard, and will hopefully be the first of many projects to transform the park.

There was a limited choice of places to eat and drink (many visitors had brought picnics) but the new Panos sandwich shop had a great selection of baguettes, cakes, juices and coffee.

Bobbejaanland is worth visiting just to ride Fury, but there are plenty of other enjoyable attractions to make a day of it, and you could easily add it to a trip with other theme parks.