Talk about one hell of an encore. After outdoing itself with last year's absolutely stellar Guitar Hero II on the PlayStation 2 (a game that GameDaily awarded a perfect score), RedOctane gives the series a Microsoft debut with an Xbox 360 version. However, this edition of Hero won't be a quick encore. Instead, potential rock gods will be rocking out to a staggering amount of additional content.

Guitar Hero II skips lame introductions and drops players smack-dab in the middle of guitar performances, similar to the PS2 versions. The game features an easy-to-follow interface with a field of scrolling multi-colored markers that run over a scrolling bar. As the markers roll over the bar, players consecutively press down on the coordinating button on the neck of the guitar, while also hitting the strum bar at the same time.

Basically, it comes down to playing the game like a real guitar, keeping in tune and not missing a beat. Hitting several markers in succession multiplies the score as well as raising the rock meter. Missing too many of these markers results in an angry, booing crowd, something any rocker wouldn't want to face. During the course of each song, highlighted markers appear. If this particular section gets completed without missing a note, an energy bar begins to fill. Once full, the energy bar may be activated by raising the guitar's neck and lowering it again, resulting in doubling the score (up to 8X) and a jolt of excitement in the on-screen performer.

Much like the PS2 bundle, the Xbox 360 version comes with a guitar component. The X-Plorer a custom built instrument that resembles the kind of rock guitar found in the possession of an 80's hair band, and features the same kind of handling and weight as the original guitar, complete with easy-to-use buttons on the neck, a strum bar and a whammy bar, which can be used to modify sounds during each performance.

Players who need to get the hang of their guitar-playing skills should be pleased with the game's Practice Mode, which lets them try out a section of any song at any speed. So those having trouble nailing the guitar solo in Nirvana's "Heart Shaped Box" on Expert don't have to go through the whole song again.