Does Wii Music rock?

He's turned your living room into a bowling alley, tennis court and low-cost gym.

Next, he wants to turn it into a stage.

Famed Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto's latest project, Wii Music, hits stores on Wednesday. But unlike popular rhythm games Rock Band and Guitar Hero, it doesn't include plastic instruments, loads of licensed tracks or a mesmerizing trail of colored notes to follow.

Wii Music is more of a toy than a game, allowing players to shake the Wii remote to play along with popular tunes. Emulating over 60 instruments, including piano, horns, flute, and guitar, the simulator seems squarely targeted at younger gamers who simply want to make some music without having to bother with winning, losing, or renting rehearsal space. And with songs spanning public domain ("Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"), classical ("Chariots Of Fire"), geeky ("Super Mario Bros. Theme") and pop ("Every Breath You Take"), the track list isn't exactly a headbanger's ball.

Sound like a great gig? That depends on who you ask. Early reviews of Wii Music have been all over the map.

WII MUSIC SCREENS

Leading video game website IGN found the game totally unappealing, giving it a harsh 5 out of 10 and claiming that "Nintendo's first step into the music / rhythm genre is actually a misstep, one resulting in a product so unsophisticated that it practically plays itself." On the flipside, the folks at gaming site 1UP were enormously impressed, doling out an "A-" and pointing out that "with a bit of attention and practice, Wii Music is easy to play and makes classical music quite fun." And smack in the middle lies IGN sister site Gamespy, who gave it a 3.5 out of 5 while noting that it's not made for gamers. "If you have young children," claims reviewer Bryn Williams, "buy this game and enjoy it with them."

Regardless of such widely varied opinions, Nintendo expects Wii Music to be the cornerstone of another lucrative holiday season for their industry-leading Wii console -- provided they meet demand this year.

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