SKATE, RATTLE AND ROLL:

Bright light flash, birthday cakes smolder with the last remnants of a wish and Jammin' 94.5 blasts from the DJ booth as kids whirl around the skating rink unsuccessfully avoiding all that comes into their paths.

Wal-Lex, tucked neatly in between Burger King and T.J. Maxx on the town lines of Waltham and Lexington (hence the name), is a self-proclaimed party center. Able to accommodate up to 15 birthday parties at once, this rollerway is a child's delight. With games like skeeball, whack-a-mole and the claw, kids greedily collect the coveted green tickets which ultimately render cheap plastic totchkies. With just five wrinkled tickets, boys and girls can get sparkly geometric rulers, gold or silver sheriff badges or a plastic compass. For the more daring entrepreneur, a mini pool table or real set of walkie talkies can be won for a collection of 800 tickets-equivalent to about $80 in real money.

An afternoon of skating includes a rousing game of Hokey-Pokey, the ever popular Macarena and, according to general manager Paula Nieves, "everyone's favorite," the Chickie Dance. After the children partake in these games it is time to skate freely...as long, of course, as everyone abides by the rules. Two surprisingly crusty geriatric referees in black-and-white striped jerseys circulate the skating rink, taking care that the children are "listening, following the rules and skating at a moderate pace." In fact, children have been known to get kicked out for "rowdy skating and wise guy behavior."

For only a $250 bid, the entire rollerway can be occupied by private groups for 3 hours at a time. Birthday parties cost considerably less and include amenities such as birthday cakes, pizza, drinks and favors. Although up to 15 parties can go on at one time, the management has worked out a system to make each child's birthday special. Each party is called over the loud speaker to their designated table and told when to pick up their pizza and cake. The birthday child is subsequently called out onto the center of the rink to be serenaded with a birthday song.

Celebrating its 50th year, Wal-Lex is a local institution. In the past year a host of Celtics players have made pilgrimages to this infamous skating haven with families in tow. Although the management does allow personal skates and roller blades into the complex, it is still possible to rent the classic leather skating boot for only 50 cents from unenthusiastic adolescent boys, with deodorizing bottles in tow, behind the counter.

As hunger sets in, a visit to the snack bar is in order. Here hot dogs revolve on metal spokes, popcorn gyrates and slushies come in watermelon, raspberry, rainbow, cherry and lime. Bacon cheeseburgers, pizza and a plethora of ice cream bars are also available to the overexerted individual. When skating becomes mundane, Wal-Lex offers, quite randomly, candlepin bowling in an effort to entertain its clientele.

Although Wal-Lex is a 30 minute foray into the wilderness of Massachusetts, it is definitely worth it for an afternoon away from the complexity of everyday life. At Wal-Lex, it really is possible for adults to revisit the nostalgia of childhood, when winning was about getting the best plastic toy and a good time was about playing tag and trying to wreak as much havoc as possible.