It has been five months since the American release of Rock Band but finally we have it in our hands here in the UK, but was the wait worth it and more importantly can you really justify paying out the cost of a new console just to get it?>>

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Rock Band is the ultimate music/arcade game, it is the perfect way to play in a band without having to be in an actual band, lugging heavy equipment around and learning new songs and instruments.  

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Before purchasing the game you have to decide what package is right for you, if you want to play everything and get the ultimate experience then the band in a box is the obvious choice, coming as it does with the drums, a guitar and a mic, unfortunately though EA have omitted the actually game from this package, making this one expensive shopping trip. For those on a more modest budget you can also purchase the guitar, mic and drums separately, meaning you can choose how you wish to play or even spread your purchase out a bit, though ultimately this would be a more expensive way of doing things. The added bonus is that Guitar Hero is always on the cheap, so you can pick this up along with the solo version of Rock Band and experience both great games using the same guitar.>>

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The guitar included with Rock Band has the 5 coloured fret buttons at the top and the same at the bottom of the neck. The buttons at the bottom of the neck are used for the solos, more on that later. The guitar portion of the game is very similar to the Guitar Hero series. A coloured bar will scroll down the screen, all you have to do is hit the right button when it hits the bottom part of the screen. There are also a couple of great additions to the guitar sections of the game which Activision probably wish made it to Guitar Hero, the first of these is the guitar solo mode, if using the Rock Band guitar you are able to press the buttons on the lower part of the neck in time without strumming, with the aim of trying to get 100% on the solo, also some songs have a rock out ending, where you thrash away at the frets and strum bar and hit the final combo to get a large point bonus. These additions really make you feel like you are contributing to the song, sucking you in more than Guitar Hero ever did.>>

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Singing is like a metal version of Singstar. The lyrics will scroll along the bottom of the screen, when it passes the marker you have to sing the correct lyric at the right pitch, there is an arrow that bends to your pitch, which can really help at times as it can be tough to match on some of the harder songs. Due to the nature of the rock song and the eternal guitar solo there are points that you will not be singing, so to keep you involved in the game there are tambourine and cow bell segments, where you can bash the mic in time to gain more points. The mic supplied with the Band in the Box version is great to use, however you are also able to use most standard USB mics (the Playstation Singstar mic will not work on the Xbox), however you can also use the Xbox Live chat mic, and though the quality is not as great, it still works a treat.>>

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Drumming is probably the most original and most anticipated of the three instruments, you have four colour co-ordinated pads and a kick pedal. It is made of a very sturdy base and looks like it can take a beating. The on screen layout is similar to the guitar mode, bars will fall down the fret board and you have to hit the corresponding note in time. As with the other instruments, easy mode uses a couple of pads to let you get the hang of the rhythm, whilst the harder settings use all of the pads and really test your speed and timing. Being a drummer myself it takes a bit of getting used to the size of the kit and plastic pads, but after a few songs you learn to adapt and before you know it you are hitting some awesome drum riffs. >>

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That’s the instruments dealt with, the game itself has plenty of modes to keep you occupied, you have a Solo Career for each instrument and much like Guitar Hero you will play through set songs at different locations, as you progress you earn cash which you can spend in the Rock Store, buying new equipment and clothing. Where the game really shines however is in the multiplayer modes, you have Band Quickplay, where you log onto Live and join up to three other aspiring musicians, you also have Tug of War and score attack for two players . The four player mode is great, however it is best played with the mic muted due to the annoying lag that you will get most of the time, making it impossible to follow. During play the game screen shows all four players frets and lyrics, making the screen a little busy and confusing at first glance, however once you get over this it really is great fun and pretty addictive.>>

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The crowning glory however is the Band World Tour mode. Here you can make up a band over a local network. The aim is to build up a fan base by playing at various gigs all over the world. Each venue has a selection of single songs to choose from, and also a few set lists, these can be a variety of self selected tracks from your music list (disc based and downloaded), random or chosen by the game. This part of the game is huge and a lot of thought has been put into it. The only problem is that this is offline only, so you need a few friends around to make the most of the game or if your feeling a bit hardcore, try singing and playing drums or guitar at the same time, it takes a bit of getting used to and a knowledge of the songs help, but it is fun. There has been chat on the internet that they are looking into making this part of the game online but don’t hold your breath.>>

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The track listing is truly astounding, with over 60 songs from the go, there is a good mix of classic rock and metal to more modern greats. Bands include Metallica, Faith No More, Fall Out Boy, a rocky Police number and Nirvana. There are a few songs that have already been covered by Guitar Hero like the Killers but don’t worry as the note structure is different so you will have to learn them all over again.

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In addition to the great online modes you also have a music store that is linked to Xbox Live, here you can use your MS Points to purchase more songs, both single tracks and pre selected packs are available, and full albums will soon follow (though there are a couple available now). The tracks are well priced when compared to Guitar Hero tracks, there is a load to choose from and you essentially get three games out of the one track so there is plenty of use there.>>

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Graphically the game looks fantastic, before the game begins you are introduced to your rocker and then bam, the action begins. During guitar solos the camera angles will change and zoom in on the guitar, giving the game a really music video feel, each band member usually gets sometime in the spotlight too, in fact if you were not too busy playing, it may be just as entertaining to watch the song while the band play in the background.>>

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Although I have spoken highly of this game so far, I have also experienced a bit of bad luck, the kick pedal for the drums failed on me, however this issue is probably limited to only a few people so please don’t let this put you off. Rock Band, even at the full £150-£170 price range is a truly great game and one that must be experienced by anyone with even the slightest interest in music, it is essentially 3 games in one, as well as including the ability to play as part of an online band, if there is one game out there to tear you away from GTA IV then this is it.>>