laying through this ‘80s collection of rock hits brings me back not necessarily to that influential decade, but to my time growing up in Sioux City, Iowa listening to Z98, the classic rock station. The thing is, I couldn’t listen to their mix of butt rock for more than five minutes. As you peruse the track listing (see sidebar), maybe only a quarter of the songs can be recalled from memory. For the rest you’ll have to look up a 30-second preview on iTunes or something. Where are The Cars, Journey, Bon Jovi, MJ (c’mon, “Beat It” would kick ass), or the countless other seminal ‘80s hitmakers and one hit wonders?

Fortunately, once you actually start burning through these tracks you gain an appreciation for the fun fretwork, even if you wouldn’t ever throw some of these songs in your stereo. The classic Guitar Hero formula of opening up the setlist, rocking with friends, and challenging yourself to get better at that nasty solo is all addictively intact. Yes, this fresh batch of tunes will help with the wait until the holiday rush of Guitar Hero III and Rock Band.

Those who are hoping for a new load of unlockables to shoot for are out of luck. All there is to purchase is the Grim Ripper and essentially the same batch of guitars and skins from Guitar Hero II. This means that fans of Eddie, Casey, Lars, Clive, and Xavier will have to find another hero, and that there are no bonus songs. I was able to buy out the whole store before even finishing Hard mode, save specialty axes like the casket guitar. And we’re talking a lot of three-star ratings, people.

Obviously, everyone’s going to pick this “expansion” up no matter what the reviews say. This is probably why Activision and RedOctane feel they can get away with charging a full $50 for half the songs of Guitar Hero II. Despite the shortcomings, an unstoppable urge will still somehow compel me to get in line for a copy the day Guitar Hero Encore comes out.