I… want to rock and roll all night

With the popularity of the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises, we all knew it wouldn't take long for the clones to start appearing. The Nintendo handheld platform despite not having a guitar controller available has not been immune to the rhythm game phenomenon. Guitar Hero on Tour did come with a guitar grip, but just wasn't quite the same as actually playing the game on the home console systems. Has Rock Revolution just been an attempt to cash in on the rhythm game popularity, or is it the next challenger to the Guitar Hero series?

The thing that sets Rock Revolution apart from the likes of Guitar Hero on Tour is the fact that it allows the gamer to play a number of 'instruments', rather than just the guitar. There are four instruments to choose from; Drums, Bass Guitar, Lead Guitar and Vocals.

Pick an instrument

The Lead Guitar requires the gamer to either strum up or strum down on the strings of the guitar in the lower screen using the stylus. This does become quite boring despite the fact that on the harder songs and on the harder levels the strumming can be quite feverish.

Of all the instruments, the Bass Guitar was my preference, as it requires the gamer to utilise more of the screen, rather than simply hovering over the centre of the screen as is the case with the lead guitar controls. With the bass guitar, the gamer is required to either strum up or strum down similar to the lead guitar, but in this case, the notes scroll across one of four strings and the correct string must be strummed in the correct direction. This gives a little more variation than the lead guitar.

Drums too, aren't bad to play and playing them can get pretty intense with the higher level songs. Playing the drums requires the gamer to tap the various drums and cymbals at the appropriate time, in time with the music and the accompanying graphic which scrolls across the top of the lower screen. It does take a little getting used to the location of each of the drums, but once mastered it can be rewarding to complete one of the longer, more difficult tunes.

Vocals require the use of the built in microphone. This works fairly well, but requires a quiet environment, as well as some decent vocal chords on the gamer's behalf. Unfortunately, I found that some of the lyrics scrolled across the screen too fast and became somewhat blurry. It is OK for the songs that you know the words too, but for those that require some learning, it can get tough really quickly.

Career mode

Rock Revolution has a number of game styles available to the gamer. The main game is the Career Mode which allows the gamer to gain fame and cash. Career mode also unlocks new songs as your career progresses and you become well known. The cash gained in the Career mode can be spent on better instruments and accessories (such as better amplifiers) as well as items to improve your stage show (improved lighting). More items become available as you progress.