GUITAR HERO : METALLICA (Activision, Xbox 360)

So Guitar Hero Metallica, the latest in the wannabe guitar god franchise, represents a remarkable rock'n'roll U-turn by James Hetfield & Co.

Perhaps it's because they've been involved in every stage of development, and the band's infamous attention to detail is evident throughout.

Forget the caricatures of the early GH gigs, Hetfield - Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo have been motion-captured so that their background barmstorming is spookily stage-accurate. It's like being at a gig.

So how does it play? You're plunged straight into fan favourites For Whom The Bell Tolls and The Unforgiven almost before you can draw breath then, when your fingers are bleeding, you realise you're just a fan in the crowd.

Inspired by the gig, you set up your own Metallica tribute group and hit the road, playing not just signature songs but also those of 20 other bands judged to be the guys' own favourites, including Queen, Thin Lizzy, Foo Fighters and Machine Head.

Midland bands Diamond Head and Judas Priest get in on the act, too, with Am I Evil? and Hell Bent For Leather, respectively.

There are some changes to the GH format. You no longer have to play all the songs in a setlist to progress to the next level. Instead, your ascent to rock and roll fame is based on the number of stars you earn for each performance.

The fretboard slider on your guitar controller allows you to use a phase effect on sustained notes, you can play drums with a double bass pedal (like Ulrich) and a music studio enables you to create your own tracks.

There are plenty of custom options in the guitar store, too. Go online with Xbox Live and you can battle not just another axeman but an entire band with the new eight-player Battle Of The bands mode. But above all it's the chance to play the likes of Enter Sandman, Master Of Puppets, Wherever I May Roam, Sad But True and Nothing Else Matters that appeals most. We're off to never-never land.