‘Guitar Hero 3' rocks exciting new features

By giving air guitarists a plastic prop, the “Guitar Hero” series has achieved rock star popularity among gamers.

“Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock” sticks to the same formula that brought its predecessors to the dance, with only a few rough spots showing up in the transition to Neversoft from previous developer Harmonix (which has instead designed the upcoming “Rock Band”).

The core game play dynamic is precisely the same: You press fret buttons with your fingers and pick the strum button with the other hand as colored notes fall down an on-screen guitar neck. Accurate playing adds “Star Power” to your rock arsenal, which you can tap for extra points by angling your guitar upward like a regular Eddie Van Halen.