With so much detail and polish going into the game, it's a shame that the "guitar" peripheral couldn't be a more comfortable and portable experience. The idea behind the guitar looks great on paper: give the player a holster to perfectly wrap their hand behind a vertical DS whilst shredding to high hell. Unfortunately it doesn't hold up quite as well in practice, as the "guitar" forces the player to hold their hand in a specific, awkward position for extended amounts of time; leading to hand cramps more brutal than Raining Blood on Expert.

Add the embarrassing method of activating Star Power (shouting or blowing into the DS's microphone), and the difficulty associated with trying to watch a screen that is constantly jiggling from your rocking, and you've got the perfect storm for an awkward portable game.

Thankfully, with the right hand position, grip, and strap placement, players can wiggle their hands around enough to endure a few songs without excruciating discomfort. For me, perching the DS with a loose guitar strap on my belly works better than any other position that I've found. I've noticed that just like real guitar things start to ache a little less over time, but the pangs from an intense session never disappear completely.

In the end, Guitar Hero: On Tour is a blast to play with friends or alone, but it's hard to shake the feeling that any videogame not called Track and Field should be such a physical endurance challenge.

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