Air guitars will become a thing of the past this April, as US publisher RedOctane unveils the 21st Century replacement: Guitar Hero on PlayStation 2.

The secret of the game's success is simple. Whilst most games are designed to be played, Guitar Hero is meant to be rocked. It allows PlayStation 2 owners to perform 30 fully licensed rock songs on a unique guitar peripheral, modeled on the classic Gibson SG. Once strapped on, the controller becomes the ultimate way to jam, making players not just feel like rock gods, but look like them, too.

Using five frets, a strum-bar and a whammy bar, players thrash out notes, riffs and chords alongside an accompanying rock band. The peripheral even senses the alignment of the guitar and at special points in the game players can play it vertically for extra style points. Falling to the knees is entirely optional.

Guitar heroes can slam on the fret buttons to form notes, sustains and chords; shred the strum bar as they would a real guitar, and go wild on the whammy whilst playing 30 classic rock tunes, such as Killer Queen, Ziggy Stardust, Smoke on the Water and I Love Rock and Roll alongside more contemporary tunes such as Take Me Out and Nobody Knows. Additionally, the game features 17 songs by up-and-coming rock stars as part of the track list.

In single-player, Guitar Hero charts the journey of an aspiring new act as it plays a series of increasingly prestigious gigs, from small indie club to stadium. Multiplayer mode sees two players facing-off in an electrifying series of guitar duels, battling for the title of Ultimate Guitar Hero.

To play Guitar Hero just once is to fall in love with it. For once it's a game which will not have gamers smashing their TVs in frustration, but chucking them out of first-floor windows as they forget their humdrum lives and succumb to the lure of a Guitar Hero lifestyle.

Guitar Hero will be published throughout Europe from April 2006, ensuring a new continent will fall in love with the game.