Sweet: Killer music mixed by well-known DJs and a game experience that will be instantly familiar to anyone who has played Guitar Hero or Rock Band.

Beat: We're not convinced playing DJ will have the same mass market appeal as playing a guitar or in a band. We predict this concept won't really shine until it's fully integrated into the Guitar Hero games.

DJ Hero, Activision's new music game for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and PS2, blends the scratch DJ culture with Guitar Hero. On some levels, it's a genius idea, especially for loyal turntabilists who've had enough strumming along to classic rock when they'd rather be behind the ones and twos jamming to sweet mix with the with Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow" and Benny Benassi's 'Satisfaction.'

That's what makes the music the real winner in this game. It's great. We heard mixes with Gwen Stefani, Eminem, Jay Z and more. DJ Hero will ship with about 80 songs in all, and will have more available for download shortly after release. Well-known artists such as DJ AM (aka Nicole Ritchie's former flame), DJ Shadow, Z-Trip and Daft Punk will all be creating two-song mixes , and some of them will also make appearances in the game as virtual DJs. Eminem and Jay-Z have also worked on some collaborations together, and will be part of a special edition of the game (all editions of the game will be out this fall, just in time for the holiday season).

Activision's new way to rock the party.

The turntable, the obviously instrument of choice, consists of a miniaturized platter (i.e. where you'd normally lay down the record) with three colored buttons on top, two of them control the two tracks in the game and the middle one's used to add effects. The platter moves and actually feels sturdy -- like a real record player -- which will be crucial to keeping this device in top shape, even after hours of pushing the wheel back and forth to scratch.

The platter is attached to a mixer, with a slider that's used in more advanced levels, a pitch button and a Euphoria button, DJ Hero's version of Star Power for this game -- play well, and build up your Euphoria, hit it to multiply your points.

Once the music starts, players get an experience that's not unlike Guitar Hero, with a few changes. Play the notes flowing down the musical highway, by pressing the same color button on the platter; press the button and scratch when indicated on-screen. Some notes are shorter, some notes are held down longer, and a curved line which appears over a note, means you have to crank the pitch dial from left to right. The slider comes in to play during more challenging songs..

The game comes in all flavor of difficulty (Beginner, Easy, Medium, Hard, Advanced). We nervously played on Easy in front of a room full of our peers, along to the Benni Benassi song. If you're Guitar Hero junkies like we are, getting the hang of the game won't take long, save for the scratching part. We found that it's better to pull the platter back and keep your thumb placed on the side to get enough leverage for scratching.

DJ Hero will feature multiplayer, both online and offline. Up to two can go head to head on turntables or play co-op by mixing together or, alternately, picking up a Guitar Hero guitar.

On it's own, DJ Hero is fun, but just based on the nature of the game - we're not sure that general population will be as drawn to a turntable as it is to a guitar. We think the real application of this game will come later, when it's fully integrated into Guitar Hero, where someone can lay down their own phat beats and effects over Johnny Cash's 'Ring of Fire' or Steve Wonder's 'Superstition.'

DJ Hero Screens

    DJ Hero will replace the traditional band set up with a new turntable controller that will let players mix hip-hop, R&B, Motown, electronica and dance music. (Screenshot 1 of 6)

    DJ Hero will replace the traditional band set up with a new turntable controller that will let players mix hip-hop, R&B, Motown, electronica and dance music. (Screenshot 2 of 6)

    DJ Hero will replace the traditional band set up with a new turntable controller that will let players mix hip-hop, R&B, Motown, electronica and dance music. (Screenshot 3 of 6)

    DJ Hero will replace the traditional band set up with a new turntable controller that will let players mix hip-hop, R&B, Motown, electronica and dance music. (Screenshot 4 of 6)

    DJ Hero will replace the traditional band set up with a new turntable controller that will let players mix hip-hop, R&B, Motown, electronica and dance music. (Screenshot 5 of 6)

    DJ Hero will replace the traditional band set up with a new turntable controller that will let players mix hip-hop, R&B, Motown, electronica and dance music. (Screenshot 6 of 6)