Guitar Hero
© 2006 RedOctane
This fun and addicting game lets players pretend they are guitarist in a rock star band through the use of a special guitar controller (sold separately). Note that some guitar controllers that work with this version of Guitar Hero may not work with the newer Guitar Hero II, forcing you to buy a new controller. It is important to keep in mind that this activity has nothing to do with fingering, note reading, or learning to play an actual guitar. This is more of a logic activity, like DDR with your fingers. We used this game to test the Shredder Guitar (see review), one of several toy guitar peripherals available for this game. The game includes over 30 rock anthems by artists such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, David Bowie, Boston, Sum 41, Ozzy Osbourne, ZZ Top, Audioslave, White Zombie, Franz Ferdinand and The Ramones. During the set up, you choose your rocker personality from one of eight rock characters — each with their own unique style of playing. There are four levels of difficulty to choose from. You begin by performing at small clubs and, as your career advances, work your way up to playing concerts at stadiums and arenas. The two-player mode lets players compete. You need an extra guitar controller for this feature, which we did not test. See also Guitar Hero II (released November 2006). Developed by Harmonix for RedOctane (which was purchased by Activision).
$39.99, PlayStation 2
Teaches: hand-eye coordination, rhythm, music
CTR Rating: 92%