As far as control goes, don’t even think of playing this without the guitar controller. You can buy or rent just the game without it, but you will not enjoy the game nearly as much unless you have the guitar controller. It feels great in your hands and can be adapted for righties or if you are more like Paul McCartney, you can also play lefty.

The multiplayer gives you plenty of replay options – co-op mode so you can play as band mates (one player is on bass while the other plays lead), or Face Off mode where you play competitively. Unfortunately there is no online multiplayer..although with timing so vital in this game, it may be too hard to implement. Again, it’s only fair that both players have guitars and they aren’t cheap -- $40 each – although that is cheaper than a ‘real’ guitar.

Graphics are somewhat improved, but you’ll barely notice this because you are concentrating on the fret board. The sound in this game is just fantastic. The vocals aren’t note for note perfect of the originals, but they are close enough to live with.

I realize I’m in the minority here, although I love this game, I was expecting even more – downloadable songs (okay, this might be difficult on the PS2 but I recall Harmonix did this for Amplitude), an online leaderboard, a more in-depth career mode that has a Behind the Music sort of vibe to it..something along those lines.

Regardless of my petty complaints, Guitar Hero II is the reason why I’m keeping my PlayStation 2 in my office. The replay value is immense, the multiplayer superb and the game has that “just one more game” quality because you know you want to master Expert mode. It just would have been nice to be able to see some sort of online rankings to see how you rate with the rest of the gamers. If you loved the original, purchasing this game is a no-brainer. Guitar Hero II is insanely addictive and belongs in every PS2 owner’s library.