Game: 'Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s'

Console: PlayStation 2

Developer/publisher: Harmonix Music/Red Octane

Genre: Music

Number of players: 1 to 2

Rated: Teen

Premise: Like the previous two "Guitar Hero" games, there's no real story here. You play through a list of increasingly difficult songs, only this time all the tracks are from the 1980s.

Game play: "Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s" is the latest product to ride the nostalgia wave. Nothing about the game's foundation has changed, which will please the loyal following the franchise has built.

Another thumbs-up: "Rocks the 80s" is noticeably easier than its predecessor and more accessible to beginners. In the first set is "I Ran (So Far Away)" by A Flock of Seagulls (which will play at Aloha Tower Marketplace on Sept. 22). It's the perfect song for gauging a new difficulty — a tool GHII severely lacked — and is a great listen.

If you think the '80s is just about The Smiths' Johnny Marr and The Cure's Robert Smith, think again. "Rocks the 80s" is a something-for-everyone soundtrack. Metalheads will love Anthrax's ever-so-weird "Caught in a Mosh" and Judas Priest's "Electric Eye." Southern rockers have .38 Special's "Hold On Loosely."

Fans of so-good-it's-bad '80s rock will be glad to know there's more cheese than in a pack of Kraft Singles: "The Warrior" by Scandal, "18 and Life" by Skid Row, "Shakin' " by Eddie Money.

Cosmetics is a big gripe in the game, as they feel flat-out lazy. It's not so much what is there, but what is not.

First, there are fewer playable characters. You'll have series favorites such as Judy Nails, Johnny Napalm and, of course, the Grim Ripper, but the majority who appeared in GHII were cut. What's worse is only the playable characters were given a retro makeover, making the guitarist look more like a fashion victim than a hip rock star.

The venues didn't change much either. The only major difference is the Vans Warped Tour, which began in 1995, stage being changed to the Rock For Safety Tour.

And despite how much you may love the songs, there's one huge flaw: There are only 30. That's less than half of either previous GH title and not a bonus track in sight.

My take: "Rocks the 80s" is the last "Guitar Hero" game Harmonix will ever produce and man, the staff must have developed a case of senioritis when putting it together because the entire game feels lazy. There's nothing here to warrant the $50 price tag. While it's a fun game and would be a nice addition to an '80s theme party, my advice is to save your money for "Guitar Hero III" and wait for this title to drop to bargain-bin prices or pick it up used.

Jeremy Castillo, who received an associate of arts degree from Windward Community College, is a student at the University of Idaho.