A fun, toned-down version of the smash hit

Playing Guitar Hero III and Rock Band on the XBox 360 or PlayStation 3 is an experience. Everything moves so seemlessly, songs are available for purchase online and you can challenge someone across the world.

Much like the Wii version, the PlayStation 2 feels a little like the red-headed step-child. Developed by Pi studios instead of Harmonix, this version lacks ALL internet capabilities. A strange sense of claustrophobia quickly sets in as you realize it's just you and anyone you can rope into playing.

Fortunately, the best part of the game, playing popular rock songs is still intact. Like every other version, this set comes with a wireless Fender guitar, a drum set and a microphone. The guitar and the microphone are fine and need very little effort to set up or maintain; connecting the guitar without instructions can be challenging, but it's cake after you do it once. Obviously you either hold down frets and strum away on the guitar or sing into the microphone, trying to match the pitch and words on the screen.

The drums on the other hand, or at least my set, cannot be elevated to an appropriate height. (I'm 6' tall) Once you even get them as high as the plastic tubing lets you, my set shrinks back down as you hit the pads. I watched my cousin fail because they fell and moved on him as he was playing. The rest of the set consists of two tubes across the feet, which come undone easily when moved, almost as annoying.

I'm very underwhelmed by the solo mode. I've finished more than half of the songs on guitar on medium, and they only glimpse of a story line is a brief message when you complete a five song-set that you've finished the couch crashing set list. At least with Guitar Hero III it gave you some quick cartoon-ish animation about signing or doing a music video.

I also discovered that you need a separate user name/band for each instrument on solo mode. What gives? Did I really need to type out a band name using the drum pad once I brainstormed a clever one for guitar? Can't I just be one dude who uses different instruments?

Unlike the technologically advanced versions of the game, there are no individual characters in the multiplayer game. You simply create a band and everyone just joins in, whereas the others have you create and personalize an avatar down to their name, gender and hair style.

At least the songs and playing the instruments hasn't changed, which makes the game a load of fun. The cheat code to unlock all of the songs, while disabling saving, also works, so you don't have to beat Green Grass and High Tides on solo mode to play it with friends.

That being said, and I know the buzz around the music video game circle now says Rock Band is much easier than Guitar Hero III, moving up in difficulty can be challenging. There's probably a reason why I still don't know much about playing real guitars after fooling around with one for a year and playing RB/GHIII at friends' houses, but I'm getting creamed when I jump from medium to hard on guitar. Not only do the orange notes show up, but the chords are more frequent and varying.