WATCH YOUR STEPS : EggMazeMent at Knott’s Will Leave You Lost, Found and A-Mazed

Once upon a time on the Island of Crete lived King Minos and a creature known as a Minotaur--half man, half beast and wholly undesirable to the king. Eager to be rid of his company, Minos hired an inventor named Daedalus to build an intricate and presumably inescapable fortress in which to house the creature.

The fortress was called the Labyrinth, and every so often, King Minos tossed in 14 young Athenians as snacks for the Minotaur. This continued until a valiant and inventive young fellow named Theseus managed not only to kill the beast, but to escape from the Labyrinth without so much as a broken sandal strap.

Now, Minotaurs haven’t been sighted for several centuries--at least not in Buena Park. But you might have to invoke that scary tale just to tear youngsters away from the most recent additions to Knott’s Berry Farm, the Easter EggMazeMent attractions.

Beginning Saturday and continuing through April 23, Knott’s will offer three mazes for children ages 3 to 12. The attractions, which are scattered throughout the park, are included with admission and open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. There will also be daily visits by the California Fresh Egg characters and the Easter Bunny, and a Spring Crafts Fair with 40 artisans making and selling their wares.

Only one of the three EggMazeMent attractions is a maze in the traditional sense of the word. It is the Search for the Easter Beagle, a 3,200-square-foot, multilevel labyrinth on the patio of Captain Kelly’s restaurant in the park’s Roaring ‘20s area.

The walls of the maze are brilliant purple and yellow vinyl stretched over aluminum frames. They are built so that visitors’ feet and (if they’re tall) heads are visible, a design that should be reassuring to anyone who loses sight of a child or parent.

Participants make their way through a series of hallways and blind alleys in search of the Easter Beagle. Along the way are three holiday-themed rooms where they can kvetch with Peanuts characters (Lucy dispenses advice to the lovelorn in the Valentine room). If their quest is successful, they climb into the gang’s treehouse and slide into the Easter room, where Snoopy’s holiday alter ego rewards them with candy and send them on their way. (Skittles candies sponsors this attraction; Sees candies presents another.)

Meanwhile, in Camp Snoopy, park designers have restructured the existing Knott’s Bear-y Tales “walk through adventure” to create the EggMazeMent Egg Factory. Here, visitors who maneuver narrow passageways and tunnels watch as the Bear-y family of animated creatures prepares for the annual Egg Celebration, all the while keeping an eye out for the crafty Coyote and Fox.

(Children under three feet tall or younger than 3 must be accompanied by an adult at all these attractions. Alternate routes are available for grown-ups who can’t negotiate the tight spaces. The Egg Factory attraction is not wheelchair accessible.)

Perhaps the most elaborate of the three mazes is the Dinosaur EggVenture. Housed in the 4,500-square-foot Wilderness Dance Hall in Ghost Town, the EggVenture also features a running story, but in this one, children play a part. Consisting of a series of interconnecting rooms, the EggVenture begins when visitors enter the gallery of a prestigious natural history museum, where a curator is about to unveil the prized Golden Dinosaur Egg. But, whattyaknow, the egg is gone!

The curator quickly dispatches visitors on a search that takes them through a dinosaur village, where they can interact with several large dinosaur characters including the amiable ImaKnottasaurus and UraKnottasaurus.

Their hunt continues through the dinosaur jungle, where they make their way past a working waterfall over a suspension bridge, into the dinosaur nursery and finally into the Institute of Dinostic Study. After cracking the case they are rewarded with candy by the highly evolved dinosaur inventor, Dino Vinci.

Mazes are nothing new to Knott’s, as park spokesman Bob Ochsner points out. For 22 years the theme park has constructed increasingly elaborate mazes and walk-through attractions for its popular Halloween Haunt. But even though Knott’s designers got the inspiration and a lot of the expertise needed to create EggMazeMent from the Haunt, that, says entertainment director Matt Schliesman, is where the relationship ends.

“We promise there won’t be anything scary about EggMazeMent,” Schliesman said. “This is all about bright colors, warm textures and friendly people in a playful environment. There won’t be anybody jumping out with a hacksaw through their head.”

* What: Easter EggMazeMent at Knott’s Berry Farm.

* When: EggMazeMent attractions are open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily from Saturday, April 8, through April 23. Park hours for April 8-16 are Sunday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to midnight. Park hours April 17-23 are Sunday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to midnight.

* Where: 8039 Beach Blvd., Buena Park.

* Whereabouts: From the Riverside (91) Freeway, exit at Beach Boulevard and drive south.

* Wherewithal: Included with regular park admission of $18.50 to $28.50; $17 to $21 for Southern California residents with identification. Parking is $5. (At participating Ralph’s supermarkets, buy an adult ticket for $19.95 and receive a free child’s ticket.)

* Where to call: (714) 220-5220.

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