As a music educator, I find Guitar Hero II to be a particularly interesting piece of software/hardware.  I recently purchased this game and  was able to get some “hands on” experience with it. Here are my first observations:

• The soundtracks are original and awesome
• The graphics are good-looking and great
• The interface (read guitar) is well done
• The game is addictive (even for one who plays the guitar like me)

All those things being said what makes the game “addictive” and “playable”?  For many non-musicians these types of games are the first time they get the thrill of being in a band and “creating” music. When you play this game on the harder levels it really does seem that you are playing every note; the designers made it that way.  The very fact that you have to strum each note and “fret” each note gives you that feeling of musical creation. When playing this game you can easily imagine yourself taking the “lead” and running riffs and solos.  It’s particularly interesting if you like/love “Rock” as the tunes that are playable are certainly some of the very best of the genre.

There are some very real and all too familiar strategies for getting better at this game: `Practice`, `Slow Down and Practice` and `Repeat and Practice`.  True to form with any discipline, especially music, these are the same ingredients that make one a better player at the piano, trumpet or any other instrument. This is the key to success at this game…and any other `real` instrument for that matter!

You can certainly learn some basic things as an aspiring “real” musician practicing this game such as rhythm and pitch to some extent (think whammy bar hear) and you will gain some independence of hands as you have to strum and finger the “chords” at the same time. But, that’s about it.

The biggest thing this game is missing is live human interaction, the feel you get when you are actually “feeding” off another musicians creative energies… building and creating something new together.   Although there is no substitute for the feeling that you get by playing in a real band in front of real people, this game does provide a glimpse of that kind of “glory” and for that it is addictive in its nature.

There is a new game coming out called “rock band” that will allow you to form a band over “Microsoft Live or some other “live” venue” and have each player play a part, drums, bass, guitar, vocal., etc.  It will be very interesting to see how that develops and if there is room for real music creation in it rather than “stock” riffs and solos.

Do I recommend the game? Sure, it’s great fun. If you’ve never experienced playing in a band for real, this game is really exciting, for me however, I’d rather play in one of my own bands… not that I won’t play a few riffs on this every now and then though! :)