Now PC gamers can rock out to Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Porting the famed guitar game from consoles, and (for the most part) out of living rooms, is a risky move bound to raise a few eyebrows. But given that there aren't a whole lot of high-profile music games for the PC, Guitar Hero III could open new doors.

People generally don't expect much from ports, but this is one of the few games that works extremely well. The programmers at Aspyr managed to adapt GH3 to the PC, and users have the option of using a keyboard and mouse or the bundled guitar to get the music rolling. Obvious signs of its console origins are still present, like how there's no mouse cursor to quickly navigate through menus and only player one can use the guitar or the keyboard, not both at the same time. When the game loads up, hitting keys on the keyboard or guitar determines which will be the primary controller from then on, and only that controller works for menus and playing solo. Otherwise, the gameplay is exactly the same as playing on the console. Being on the PC also comes with a few extra benefits, like being able to rock out practically anywhere using a notebook. Although the system requirements are a little high, especially for a music game, recently purchased high-end notebooks should be able to handle it.

For the uninitiated, Guitar Hero works by holding down fret keys as colored gems scroll past. Players need to strum the guitar in time with the gems in order to play, and do their best to match the patterns as closely as possible. The GH3 package comes with a Red Octane X-Plorer guitar controller tethered to a USB wire, which might disappoint people looking forward to wireless play. The good news is that the game is compatible with all Guitar Hero controllers, so people who currently own an Xbox 360 wireless receiver can wait until the wireless guitar is sold on its own. However, the PC version has the unique ability to use the keyboard and mouse as an alternative controller.