Someone taps me on the shoulder. It’s Glenda Adams, director of development for Aspyr Media. “We saw this as a great opportunity to bring a unique kind of gameplay to the Mac, something that has really never been on the platform,” she says. “Guitar Hero III feels like such a good match for the Mac: it’s easy enough for casual players to pick up, it’s very intuitive to play, and it leverages music and sharp graphics to give you a fun experience.”

Dueling Axes. Two guitarists enter, one guitarist leaves.

Then the singer looks at me and nods. Looks like I’ve been recruited for a chance to join the pantheon of rock guitar gods. Or, at the very least, the best of those who wield a plastic instrument with multi-colored buttons. I climb onto the stage and signal that I’m ready.

“From the character models and crowds to the special effects, the game really looks amazing.”

- Glenda Adams, director of development, Aspyr Media

The Party’s Just Begun

The drummer launches into the familiar initial beats of KISS’ “Rock and Roll All Nite” before musical notes, represented by different-colored circles, begin flowing toward me. I hold down the appropriate fret button on the guitar and flick the strum bar with my thumb when a note reaches the bottom of my field of view. When I see a note with a line trailing behind it, I hold the fret and wiggle the whammy bar to add some oomph.

Two Classics. Jimi Hendrix-inspired character Xavier Stone holds a beautiful Les Paul.

Unfortunately, when I miss a note, the crowd hears a metallic clunk instead. A mistake also sends the all-important Rock Meter lower — if it begins flashing red and stays there, the song will end abruptly and the crowd will boo us off the stage. Luckily, I can quickly recover from a series of mistakes by using my Star Power, which fills every time I hit a series of notes shaped like stars, rather than circles. No bonus points for doing a Pete Townshend windmill, though.

I complete the tune to the roar of the crowd, basking in my score of nearly 40,000 points, with over 90% of the notes hit and a 50-note streak to my credit. Sure, we’re doing this on the easiest difficulty setting, but I’ll take it.

Desert Tour. The band plays at a Burning Man-like festival.

Suddenly, the enormous dragon behind me spews fire, an animatronic knight slices off its head, and a series of tightly-grouped notes cascades toward me. The opening riff of Iron Maiden’s “Number of the Beast” sets the stage for a much tougher challenge. Now I have to create chords by holding down two frets at the same time, and I must be fleet-fingered to keep up with the galloping song. My rock ‘n’ roll dreams die in a flurry of thunks and boos.

“Beating a song is great, but beating your friend at a song is even better.”

- Glenda Adams, director of development, Aspyr Media

I Use the Best

I let someone else give this a shot and rejoin Adams. We survey our environment, marveling at an atmosphere that makes us feel like we really are watching a band in the middle of a world tour. Ye Olde Royal Odeon is one of eight rock venues in the game. “The graphics have had a huge overhaul from previous games in the series,” she notes. “From the character models and crowds to the special effects and stage lighting, the game really looks amazing.”

Now the band’s been joined by mohawked Johnny Napalm, a rail-thin punker who accompanies them for “Anarchy in the U.K.” He’s one of 13 characters you can choose from, including former Guns ‘n’ Roses lead guitarist Slash and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello. The game also features 71 songs: 46 in the main set list — including Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love,” The Who’s “The Seeker,” The Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black,” and Pearl Jam’s “Even Flow” — and 25 bonus tracks. Adams characterizes the breadth of the assortment as “a coup.”

Abandon All Hope, Ye Bands Who Enter Here. Rockin’ out for the demon lord in the Dante-themed Lou’s Inferno.

In addition to embarking on a career, you can take on an opponent, at the same computer or over the Internet, in Guitar Battle mode. Battle Power replaces Star Power in these shredfests, allowing you to break your opponent’s guitar strings, overload her amplifier, or throw out other dirty tricks that will keep her from hitting the right notes. Of course, she has access to the same arsenal.

“Beating a song is great, but beating your friend at a song is even better,” laughs Adams. “The game also tracks your single- and multi-player games and adds your scores to the overall leader boards, so you can see how you stack up against other Mac and PC players.”

Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight. Star Power unleashed.

The Public Acclaim

Adams and her team also made sure you can rock out even if you’re traveling with your laptop and didn’t pack your guitar. “We thought it would be great to let you play if you’re on a break at the office or in the airport,” she explains. “So we spent a considerable amount of time coming up with a way to use the keyboard, with or without the trackpad, to play the game. I think it worked out really well; sometimes I can play a song better on the keyboard than the guitar.”

The band plays its final song, but the crowd demands an encore and they oblige, launching into a rousing version of Guns ‘n’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle,” complete with a cameo by Slash. As I soak it all in, I remember the final words of that Byrds song: “Don’t forget who you are/ You’re a rock ‘n’ roll star.”

If you liked this game, check out:

• Guitar Hero: Aerosmith