If you love rock music and/or hosting parties then you must own Guitar Hero World Tour, the game where you and your friends play out all of those inner rock star fantasies. The band package, which runs close to $200, comes fully equipped with drums, guitar, microphone, and game.

The highlight of the package is the brand new “Guitar Hero” drum set that features a snare, tom tom, floor tom, elevated high hat, and elevated crash cymbal for a total of 5 drum pads. The elevated cymbals are a major selling point for rock nerds because it feels like a natural kit.

If you are using an LCD HD television then make sure you calibrate the drums to account for any audio and/or visual lags. The first time I played the game I had to hit the drums completely behind the beat, making the game highly awkward. All I had to do was go to “calibrate” in the “options” menu. The process takes about 20 seconds and the settings will save automatically.

While many have reported bugs with the drums, mine have worked just fine. People that experience technical difficulties should check out the Guitar Hero Community website. It contains tips and tricks for fixing the peripherals, such as the drum pads.

The updated guitar contains a slide feature that allows the player to tap notes and to slide between notes. The guitar is also more stylish and comfortable than the one from Guitar Hero 3 Legends of Rock.

For those that prefer to front the band, the Guitar Hero microphone and vocal highway game play makes anyone suitable for singing the rock anthems.

If you ever dreamed about playing alongside rock greats such as Ozzy Osbourne, Ted Nugent, Zakk Wylde, Jimi Hendrix, and Travis Barker then your prayers have been answered by this game. I just backed up Ozzy on “Crazy Train” and “Mr. Crowley,” with my drumming and I can tell you my adrenaline is still pumping.

On a side note: There have been rock stars and musicians, such as Chad Kroeger of Nickelback, that dislike the “Guitar Hero” age which has been going strong for 3 years now. Many feel that it prevents kids from learning the actual instruments.

While that may be true, the fact of the matter is that thousands of kids are now exposed to classic rock and roll songs that they never would have heard before if it wasn’t for this series. And because of that, I salute you game makers, and have since the beginning! Thank you. 9/10

Buy Guitar Hero World Tour

Addendum: Here is my attempt at playing the drums on expert for Metallica’s “Trapped Under Ice.” You can see this video on the brand new “Gears of Rock Presents” YouTube channel.