BY MELISSA HECKSCHER >LA.COM

Summer is almost here, and area theme parks are gearing up for the hot-weather crowds with a slew of new attractions. Looking for thrills? Check out what's new.

>What: The Simpsons Ride.

>Opens: Monday.

>Details: A high-tech simulator ride through "Krustyland," the fictional "Entertainment Capital of Springfield" - which, incidentally, looks a little like a demented version of a Universal competitor (hint: rhymes with "Bisney"). To promote the new ride, beginning Monday, Universal Studios will be giving away a free child's ticket to the park, with a paid adult ticket, for every home run a Los Angeles Dodgers player hits in the fifth inning of any home game this season. Tickets are redeemable by presenting the game ticket stub at the Universal Studios ticket booth.

>The experience: Riders will board an eight-person car and be lifted up in to an 80-foot dome where they'll embark on a chaotic, six-minute simulated ride through Krustyland. Expect a few roller-coaster plunges, rushes through underground lagoons, rocket-like propulsions through the air - plus a smattering of "4-D" effects, including water and wind. And, of course, there will be plenty of "Simpsons" humor.

>The technology: With a groundbreaking projection system delivering four times the resolution of home-theater systems and twice what you'd see in digital-movie theaters, you'll almost feel like a cartoon yourself.

KNOTT'S BERRY FARM (8039 Beach Blvd., Buena Park; (714) 220-5200; www.knotts.com)

>What: Pony Express.

>Opens: May 22.

>What it is: More for the "tweener" set than hard-core thrill-seekers, the Pony Express is the first "horse" coaster (the design has been used in the past to simulate motorcycle rides), with two 16-person trains resembling a pack of horses. Think of it as a merry-go-round gone wild.

>The experience: Straddling one of the train's 16 horses and secured via a back-and-leg harness, riders will leave their post at a speed of 0 to 38 mph in less than 3 seconds. The course ascends a banked turn to a height of more than 44 feet, then navigates a single loop of 60-degree banked turns and camelbacks.

>The technology: Italian manufacturer Zamperla designed the Pony Express with flywheel launch technology to propel the train out of the station.

SIX FLAGS (26101 Magic Mountain Parkway, Valencia; (818) 367-5965; www.sixflags.com/magicmountain)

>What: X2.

>Opens: May 24.

>Details: With a 20-story drop and seats that rotate like an out-of-control eggbeater, the X already was pretty extreme when it opened in 2002. Now, after $10 million in upgrades that include lighter, sleeker trains (for a smoother ride) and added fog, sound- and fire-effects, it's even more so.

>The experience: Riders leave the station facing backward and ascend 190 feet before reaching the top of the hill, at which point the seats flip around to create a face-first dive toward the ground. Those who like to fear for their lives will love it.

>The technology: Designed by aerospace engineers, X2's wing-shaped trains have seats that extend off the track, allowing them to independently rotate guests head-over-heels, forward and backward, creating a one-of-a-kind "don't know what to expect next" sensation.

>What: C.S.I. Live.

>Opens: June 13.

>Details: A 30-minute live show.

>The experience: Actors perform a "whodunit"-style mystery while the audience tries to solve the puzzle. Clues depend on where audience members are seated in the theater. Video segments feature "C.S.I." cast members giving advice and clues.

LEGOLAND

(1 Legoland Drive, Carlsbad; (760) 918-5346; www.legoland.com)

>What: Land of Adventure.

>Opened: March 10.

>What it is: Legoland's newest themed section features four new attractions: Lost Kingdom Adventure, Cargo Ace, Beetle Bounce and Pharaoh's Revenge.

>The experience: As with all Legoland attractions, Land of Adventure is designed for the 12-and-under crowd: Lost Kingdom Adventure is Legoland's first in-the-dark ride and takes riders on a journey through various settings in all-terrain roadsters outfitted with "treasure blasting" laser guns; Beetle Bounce launches kids to a height of 15 feet; Cargo Ace lets kids become pilots, with eight airplanes that fly up to 6 feet into the air; and at Pharaoh's Revenge, children and parents can fire thousands of foam balls at targets and each other.

>What: Sea Life Aquarium.

>Opens: July 1.

>What it is: A 36,000-square-foot, two-story aquarium adjacent to Legoland and requiring a separate admission (though two-for-one packages will be offered).

>The experience: Sea Life is designed to appeal to a younger audience, using interactive exhibits to teach children about the ocean and its inhabitants. The aquarium focuses on local waters, from the fresh waters of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the San Francisco Harbor and the depths of the Pacific Ocean via the California shoreline. Features include a seahorse kingdom, a bay of rays, tidepools and a shoaling ring where visitors can be surrounded by schools of shimmering fish. An acrylic tunnel takes guests through waters teeming with more than 20 species of sharks, fish and invertebrates. Sea Life is the largest aquarium brand in the world, with 29 parks in nine countries.

DISNEYLAND'S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE

(313 S. Harbor Blvd., Anaheim; (714) 781-4565; www.disneyland.com)

>What: Toy Story Ride.

>Opens: June 17.

>What it is: Disney spent a reported $80 million on this attraction, which takes riders into a carnival midway.

>The experience: Wearing 3-D glasses and outfitted with shooters that double as pie-throwers, egg-tossers and dart guns, riders are "shrunk" to the size of toys and sent into a "Midway Games Play Set." There, guests aim for 3-D animated targets using their onboard spring-action shooters.

>The technology: More than 150 computers communicate over multiple networks to create a show that responds to every move the tram and the shooters make. In addition, the hulking Mr. Potato Head who greets people as they walk into the attraction is the first animatronics figure whose mouth appears to form words and vowel sounds. More time was spent programming him than any other animatronics figure ever created by Walt Disney imagineers.

Melissa Heckscher (310) 540-5511, Ext. 329 melissa.heckscher@dailybreeze.com