Among the extravagant and over-the-top attractions that cater to the every whim of Dubai's tourists, are many unique takes on landmarks and activities from countries around the world. You can take to the slopes in an indoor skiing centre, spectate a camel race on the outskirts of town, catch a helicopter to the roof of your beachside hotel, or take a dune buggy tour out in the desert followed by a campfire dinner and belly-dancers to entertain you while you eat. Dubai Mall at the foot of the Burj Khalifa (the tallest building in the world) has a slew of attractions of its own, such as a musical fountain – check that out on YouTube, by the way, an indoor aquarium, an ice skating rink and, the main point of this page of my feature, an indoor theme park known as Sega Republic.

First opinions would suggest that this is more of a gigantic arcade than a true theme park, as entry is free but all attractions are charged to a membership card that you have to purchase at the ticket booths. Much of the park is taken up by standard arcade attractions, like skill testers, UFO catchers and those games that give out prize tickets, like ring toss and whack-a-mole. There are plenty of virtual racing games where you sit on a bike or hold onto a steering wheel, some of them have you climbing into a life-sized car that tilts and swerves as you play the game. There's also the sideshow-style arcade machines where you arm wrestle with prostheses or punch a sandbag, and there's even a classic strength tester where you hit the button with a sledgehammer to ring the bell at the top.

The main attractions of the park are, of course, the rides. These are what make separate Sega Republic from arcades elsewhere, and without them they wouldn't be able to call themselves a theme park. There's an overbearing presence of Sonic the Hedgehog here, as statues of the character adorn the entire park, and most of the rides focus in some way on the series characters or aspects of the Sonic gameplay.

The Sonic Hopper could be described as a giant totem pole with seats wrapped around the bottom, which raise and lower their adrenaline-starved occupants while spinning rapidly. The Robotnik is a long row of seats that swing and twist back and forth as they bob up and down in the air. There's a giant mechanical Xyclone machine that swings like an enormous 360-degree pendulum, while rotating the chairs about on the end, their riders' legs flailing freely.

The coolest looking ride is the park's resident roller coaster, the Spin Gear. This one features its own story about Dr. Eggman needing test subjects for a new weapon, thinly veiled as a kind of energy generator built in the name of peace. I didn't get to ride on this one myself (read: didn't have the nerve to attempt it right after lunch), but it's a coaster that begins high above the park's second floor, with the carriage spinning around as it rockets along the track. Coupled with a view of the entire park from near the ceiling of the venue, dark tunnels and lighting effects that simulate a mechanical breakdown during the course of the ride, it's the attraction that looks the most technically impressive in the whole place. There are several other rides as well, like a giant simulated snowboard halfpipe, a slide that shoots you down a long transparent tunnel from the park's ceiling to the ground floor, and even dodgem cars tucked away at the back of the park's second floor.

If erratic, bone-wrenching gyrations aren't your thing, there's also a series of other neat activities for the more virtually-inclined. There are two virtual reality rides in the form of the Wild Wing and the Wild Jungle, which take you on short tours filled with exciting spills as the entire room tilts about to simulate movement, with wind machines that blow your hair around for that added touch of realism. There's an attraction called Lazerace that sees you navigating a maze while dodging and twisting your body to avoid laser traps and reach the deactivation button at the end, just like in heist movies.

There's also the most entertaining version of classic House of the Dead that I've ever played, if you don't count Overkill's awesome grindhouse style story and characters. House of the Dead 4 Special requires you to sit in a jeep in a darkened room and strap yourself in with a friend. The vehicle then twists and turns as the game's POV navigates around corners on the screen, with occasional scenes where the zombies close in on you from behind, at which point the entire car spins around to a second, rear-view screen behind you. Getting hit by the monsters blasts air in your face and vibrates your gun, making for a much more hectic experience than the standard version of the game.

Given that the park is clearly intended for Sonic fans with all the statues, artwork and plushes in the skill tester games, it's very surprising that the park doesn't offer anything in the way of exclusive souvenirs or merchandise to commemorate your visit. There's a gift shop full of Sonic-themed figurines and items, but they're all things that have been seen in toy stores all over the world. I would have loved some kind of resin figure or pewter medallion with the park on it, even a keychain or fridge magnet with the park's logo on it. Odd for a country that thrives on overindulgence and spending a fortune on trinkets!

For the casual stroll-through, Sega Republic is deceptively busy. It's easy to miss all the attractions just by wandering around the park, but if you invest the time to explore it's easy to spend an afternoon there, or even a day on repeat rides.

That's the majority of my tale of Arabian adventures for now, but you can check out the gallery below for more pics, or see the other pages on the chapter menu to the right.