American Idol has continued to lead the television ratings since it first aired what seems like years ago. It was only a matter of time before someone attempted to create a video game based on the American Idol license, and Codemasters has done just that. Using the Idol license with a fairly basic rhythm/music template, Codemasters has faithfully recreated the Idol experience, but is that really a good thing?

Just like in the show, your main goal in the game is to make it through all the various auditions and shows until you're crowned the American Idol. You'll select your song, then press or hold buttons in conjunction with the onscreen leads. When you first start out you'll create a character out of a decent amount of body parts, although certainly not enough to satisfy most people. I was unable to find a model that looked even remotely like myself, as the customizable options all seem to be modeled after contestants on the show. That would be fine if you were watching the show, but the point of playing the game is to put yourself in the show.

Once you have created your contestant it's time to pick out your wardrobe. The judges will not only grade you on how well you follow the onscreen leads, but how you look as well. Performing well during each show will unlock new outfits that you can try on. Before each show you'll have the option to change your characters appearance, and after each show you'll see what the judges thought of your outfit selection. Female players should have some fun playing dress up with their created contestant, but the male players will become bored of this rather quickly.

Staying true to the show, the first few stages take place in the audition room. From there you'll move to the television studio as the judges narrow the competition down. It's good to see the developers trying to recreate the show experience as closely as they can, but after the first few stages of doing the same thing over and over again, you'll be ready for something new. Unfortunately, you won't get it, as the only change beyond the background is your song selection.

The song selection is taken from the top 40 listings and features tunes that most people should recognize. During each song, a large crosshair is present in the center of the screen, and four icons representing buttons move toward the center of the crosshair from each side of the screen. When the icons hit the center of the crosshair, you must press the corresponding button. The closer you are to pressing the button in conjunction with the icon reaching the center of the crosshair, the better the rating you receive. Sometimes you'll have to press and hold a button, or press two buttons at once as things become more difficult.

If you've got a few friends over, you can play multiplayer. Each person will take their respective turn, then the judges and audience will rate you. DDR fans will be happy to know that you can use a dance pad with American Idol. This adds to the fun factor and provides a better party experience when friends drop by. However, there's only so much fun you can have with this title, as very little changes from play session to play session.

One of the major downfalls of American Idol comes in its ability to recreate the show as accurately as possible. Before and after each show the game loads the trademark American Idol music and logo that runs before and after commercial breaks. This wouldn't be so bad if the game didn't load the cut-scene, then load the outfit changing mode, then load the cut-scene again, then load the next round. It adds up to a lot of loading that really isn't necessary, and slows the game down to a crawl.

Codemasters has done a fairly good job of providing an American Idol experience to gamers. The only problem is that beyond the Idol license, this title really has nothing to offer. Bust-a-Groove and its sequel back on the original PlayStation offered more variety in its gameplay, and it had better load times. That said, fans of American Idol will probably be able to pull some enjoyment out of Codemasters work. However, everyone else will want to look elsewhere for their music and rhythm gaming needs.