Guitar Hero II returns a sense of wide-legged pride to PS2 owners. It comes with a new PS2 controller shaped like a guitar which you use to shred an amazing selection of tracks, from fret-friendly opening selections such as Danzig's "Mother" or Kansas' “Carry On My Wayward Son,” all the way up to the full on virtuoso heroics required to effectively riff through Guns 'N Roses' "Sweet Child of Mine" or Suicidal Tendancies' "Instiutionalized." Two player functionality allows those gamers blessed with two guitar controllers to tag team, playing Lead, Rhythm or Bass guitar and joining forces in majestic displays of electronically-simulated arena rock meltdowns right in their living room. My female companion and I spent four hours trading riffs yesterday and let’s just say it was hot watching her burn through “Madhouse” by Anthrax. Really, seriously hot.

The only downside of the PS2 installment of Guitar Hero II is that there are a finite number of tracks available. The Xbox 360 version, slated later this year, promises the benefits of an expanded array of downloadable tracks, along with online duels and co-operative rocking. But for those 100 million of us still in possession of fully functional PS2’s that market forces have seen fit to paint as obsolete, well, that old box that got you through all three versions of Grand Theft Auto has a new, amplified and electric lease on life.