Many Guitar Hero fans might dismiss Rock Band as a knock-off, but that is a mistake: Rock Band is as much fun as the mega installment. Even if you don't like Guitar Hero, even if you're not a video game buff, you will love the opportunities offered in Rock Band. If bass and guitar are too difficult for you, you can be the band's lead singer, which is easy as long as you stay on-pitch. (You don't have to actually be a good singer to lead your band to a passing grade). If you've mastered the bass and guitar and you're looking for a challenge, try the drums. They take a lot of practice and concentration, but if you take the time to master them, you'll really wow your friends. You can play with a group or on your own, and even if you play with friends, each player can choose his or her own level of difficulty (Easy, Medium, Hard, or Expert). If you do not play well enough, you will fail out of the song and your instrument will be muted from the audio mix. However, you can activate your Overdrive to bring your failed partner back into the mix, "saving" a player, which can prevent your band from failing the song if you save the player before the Band Meter hits the bottom.

The game offers 58 core songs as well as over 600 downloadable songs. Unlike the Guitar Hero games, which have complete lists of predetermined songs, players can complete unique sets of activities at each venue. You can have single songs, multiple song sets, "make your own" setlists, and mystery setlists. A band can also choose to perform in a "benefit concert" which earns no in-game money but more fans, or "sell-out" which earns more in-game money but loses fans. You can also compete for a recording deal with a record label. Individual players can also compete against each other in a "Tug of War" much like Guitar Hero's "Face-Off."

My only beef with Rock Band is the choice of core songs. Rock Band focuses more on bands that were big in the late 80s and 90s rather than the more classic choices offered in Guitar Hero.