The game that killed the air guitar is back with the first in the series not to be developed by Guitar Hero creators Harmonix (they?ve been bought by MTV to make Rock Band). With Tony Hawk?s developer Neversoft taking over the basics are nevertheless still the same as you use the series? signature guitar shaped controller to play along to a greatest hits line-up of rock classics. The new wireless controllers for this version are based on a Gibson Les Paul (or a Kramer for the PS2 version) and even have customisable faceplates and a removable neck for easy storage. The gameplay seems simple enough at first, as a cursor highlights which of the five fret buttons to press at one time. All you have to do then is press the right one and strum along on the flipper. Which of course sounds incredibly easy, until you?re trying to keep up with Rock you like a Hurricane as the virtual crowd bays for your blood. New for this sequel is an extra multiplayer mode called Battle where you play against another player and try to put him off with special attacks like breaking their strings or overloading their amp. Naturally the graphics are all new, including new characters (plus Slash as an end of level boss) and venues but the most important feature is simply the soundtrack. Over 70 songs are featured, half of them originals, with everyone from Queens of the Stone Age to Smashing Pumpkins to Metallica and Slayer. In short: the game rocks. Harrison Dent