Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock [X360]

Visually, the game has received a thorough makeover, and the new look is mostly an improvement. The gauges look less like a game interface and more like something that would be on stage, mounted on an amp or a soundboard. The cutscenes have a playful cartoon sensibility, while the venue screens have the lush look of 70s album covers. The new character models are super detailed, and this time the lead singer even lip syncs the song he's singing and the guitarist's fingers move in time to the music. Among returning guitar heroes like Judy Nails and Johnny Napalm are appearance by real world rockers, but we won't spoil the surprises. Suffice to say you'll have to play minigames against some actual guitar heroes, at which point you'll unlock them in the game.

These minigames serve as a brief introduction to Guitar Hero III's new multiplayer battle mode. In the past, Guitar Hero has fumbled for various multiplayer options, but the fact of the matter is that there hasn't been much to do but play side-by-side with your buddy and then compare scores afterwards. Not any more. The battle mode is an interactive experience, with star power replaced by insidious tricks you can play on the other guy: break one of his "strings", makes his notes blink on and off, or bump up his difficulty level. Better yet, do all three at once! There are about a half dozen ways to mess up your buddy, but he'll be trying to do the same thing to you. These are lots of fun at home, and for public events (which can now be listed online with the new community functions), they should make Guitar Hero tournaments a lively affair. Sure, anyone can practice long enough to beat a song on Expert. But let's see you do it when your opponent reverses your frets.

The new guitar (we tried the wireless Les Paul that comes with the 360) feels a lot sturdier, with crisp precise controls and a suitably tense whammy bar. The detachable face plate will allow for some slick customization for people who aren't content with stickers. And being able to detach the neck will make it much easier to bring your controller to a friend's house. It's a good enough guitar that we can overlook Activision jacking up the price another $10, despite the fact that this thing is going to sell like hotcakes. Give us this solidly built wireless guitar, Activision, and we won't begrudge you the extra profit.

Guitar Hero III won't disappoint either diehard fans or people new to the series. This is the latest step in the stairway to heaven of home rocking. So if you haven't already got a copy, click that Buy It Now button and hold your lighter aloft. And for those about to rock, we salute you, and we'll see you online.

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