Guitar Hero is fun - pure, unadulterated fun. The kind of fun we all had as kids when we took all the pots and pans from the kitchen to play drums with wooden spoons. Except this time the toys don’t make random noises but allow us to play the classic rock songs we’ve grown to cherish and, aside from a few glaring omissions, the setlist is spot on. From classic metallers like Black Sabbath and Judas Priest to modern favourites Queens of the Stone Age and Franz Ferdinand there’s something to please everyone and each tune, despite being a cover, sounds close to the real thing. Some will lament the absence of Iron Maiden, Metallica or whatever other band they love but the setlist is varied and comprehensive without them.

Each song plays in the same way. Three of the fret buttons are used on Easy difficulty, four on Medium and all five on Hard and Expert. Like Amplitude and Frequency before it, coloured notes scroll down the screen towards the player and the corresponding button must be hit as the notes meet the cursor, then whilst holding down the right buttons the strum bar must be struck or depressed. Easy difficulty is very good for introducing the basics of play but Medium is where Guitar Hero really blossoms. The addition of the fourth blue fret button makes the experience much more like playing a real guitar as the left hand has to move up and down the fret board or the little finger stretched over the button. The number and placement of notes is more complex in Medium, which creates an expected leap in difficulty but also has the added bonus of making the illusion of actually playing those songs more believable.

As more songs are unlocked they get progressively more difficult but by virtue they also become more fun to play. By the time you get to Pantera’s awesome Cowboys From Hell your fingers will feel like they’re about to snap but you’ll carry on playing for that feeling: the feeling that you might actually be able to do this for real.

Two-player mode is where the game really takes flight and drags you up through the clouds to a place where you feel like a god. That’s no exaggeration. With two players wielding their guitar controllers in a brutal axe duel each one feels like they’re up on stage and giving their all, like Steve Vai and Ralph Macchio, to prove their guitar powers. Like Frequency’s other music games there are plenty of opportunities to combo notes together and achieve multipliers, thereby bettering your opponent, but true success will come from the reactions of your friends and family. When both guitarists play a song with perfect technique and style then the whoops and cheers of the living-room crowd become much more rewarding than any high score table and confirm that Guitar Hero is not just a competitive game but a co-operative one too. A perfect song will only play if both players are on top form, playing as though they’re in the same band.

If Guitar Hero at its best makes you feel like you’re on the stage in front of millions then the worst parts can often make you feel like the mics aren’t working or the bass is untuned. Like many other music games Guitar Hero makes the classic mistake of not allowing the player to practice different parts of a song. The hardest part of all the tunes is undoubtedly the solos and an opportunity to practise them outside of their complete songs would have been a very welcome feature. As well as this minor oversight there is a major flaw that blemishes the score attack nature of the game. At certain points the player is required to hold the guitar vertically, this doubles the points for every note that is played. However, the player need only flick the guitar neck skyward for a second in order to activate the multiplier and does not have to play all of the notes in the vertical position. Whether intentional or not, this flaw sidesteps a risk/reward mechanic that would have made the game so much more thrilling to play.

Aside from these niggles Guitar Hero is one of the best music games to emerge in a long time. The game plays brilliantly, the controller is sturdy and durable, the songs are facemeltingly great. If you love rock and games and you don’t mind shelling out for the (pretty much essential) second controller then this is a must-have game that will see you returning to the PlayStation 2 long after the next generation has hit its stride.