The latest attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood is a sizzler - literally.
"Backdraft," using precedent-setting special effects that made the Ron Howard film so hot last summer, takes visitors into a simulated inferno rivaling Dante's.It all takes place on a 90- by 170-foot soundstage broken into three sections. Start in Room One with a filmed introduction by Howard explaining the special effects that helped make "Backdraft" such a scorcher. Some of the more spectacular clips are included.
Room Two has a mockup of the firehouse used in the movie, as well as behind-the-scenes looks at how special effects are created.
In Room Three, spectators are surrounded by fire. Flames rush through the area, shoot from walls, speed along structural pipes, ignite containers of flammable liquids and incinerate catwalks that swing towards the audience. A wall of fire races across the floor at 40 feet per second. Viewers feel as though they are in a hailstorm of fiery debris.
Universal Studios Hollywood is in Universal City on Lankershim Boulevard just north of Hollywood. Admission is $24.50 for visitors 12 and older, $19 for children aged 3 to 11. It covers "Backdraft" and all other rides and shows.
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Scandinavia-bound travelers should consider capital-saving capital cards, available in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo.
Each city offers City Cards good - with variations from city to city - for free entry to museums and attractions, unlimited use of subways and buses and rides on sightseeing boats.
In Copenhagen, the card costs $20 for one day, $35 for two days and $43 for three days. In addition to local sightseeing, it provides free train rides within the greater metropolitan area and discounts on ferries to Sweden.
The Stockholm Card, $20 per 24 hours, is good at 60 attractions. Tourists can also make unlimited stops on a special bus routed around Stockholm's most popular museums and attractions.
In Oslo, the card costs $14 for one day, $21 for two days and $25 for three days. It covers unlimited use of public transportation and free entry into all city museums and attractions.
Another cost-saver for travelers visiting Denmark and Norway is the Scanrail Pass. There are three versions: For four days of unlimited travel during a 15-day period, the cost is $179 for first class, $145 for second class. For nine travel days in any 21-day period, it's $299 for first class, $239 for second. For 14 days in any month, it's $459 in first, $349 in second.
In Sweden, railways offer off-peak tickets called "Red Departures," the equivalent of our "red-eye" flights. They leave very early morning or late night. Savings are usually 50 percent.
For further information: The Scandinavian Tourist Boards, 755 Lexington Ave., New York, N.Y. 10017. Telephone 1-212-494-2333.