Vocals and drums join the rock fracas in “Guitar Hero World Tour,” the fourth main edition of Activision's pioneering rhythm game franchise. Though the publisher's foray into full-band play was all but forced by the “Rock Band” series' introduction of mics and skins to the formula, “World Tour” responds with its own innovations that raise the ante in turn.

RedOctane's guitar remains the superior plastic axe due to quieter fret buttons and the clicking of its strum bar, which gives players a greater sense of rhythm while hitting staccato notes. Players can also nail some note streaks with swipes of their finger over a second touch-sensitive fret bar.

“World Tour's” drum set meets with more mixed success. Its two raised cymbals add a challenging dimension to drumming that “Rock Band” veterans will savor for its skill-building potential. The pads are also quieter and springier than competing kits. But several “World Tour” drum sets - mine included - suffer from reduced sensitivity in their cymbals. In my case, approximately half of all hits actually registered in the game. The set's lack of a lateral ground bar, onto which the kick pedal would latch, results in the pedal's gradual creeping across the floor and away from the player.

The game mode that most successfully distinguishes “World Tour” from its fellow rhythm titles is a music studio in which players can map out the notes to their own songs. Much like “LittleBigPlanet's” level design system, these songs can also be downloaded through an iTunes-like service within “World Tour.” The design system not only provides ambitious players a challenging but accessible corollary to “Guitar Hero,” it gives them a seemingly infinite amount of additional songs to play.

“World Tour” also tweaks the basic hit-the-scrolling-notes rhythm game play rubric. Some songs ask guitarists to hit notes while holding onto another, and the touch-sensitive sliding note streaks demand quick attention and graceful fingers. Axemen veterans of “Guitar Hero 3” will also notice a less maniacal level of difficulty in “World Tour's” songs, though their mean finger-twisting ability still charts ahead of “Rock Band.” Drum fills in “World Tour” don't activate star power, but rather allow players to accumulate more points by going crazy at the kit. Singers will enjoy a far more exacting pitch-sensing system that doesn't tolerate the slightest off-key wavering during sustained notes.

Though its innovations position “World Tour” as a legitimate alternative to “Rock Band 2,” Activision's latest rhythm game falls just short for two reasons: song selection and band career mode. The first is subjective and strictly influenced by my own musical taste. Tool fans, for instance, will salivate at the chance to play not one, but three of the alt-metal band's meaty songs in “World Tour”. But the straightforward clumping of songs - no mystery or themed sets - in the game's band career mode trips it up from true stardom.

David Wilcox

253-5311 ext. 245

david.wilcox@lee.net

If you play

Game: “Guitar Hero World Tour”

Score: A-

Parental rating: Teen for lyrics and mild suggestive themes

Developer: Neversoft

Publisher: Activision

Platform: PlayStation 3 (also available for PlayStation 2, Wii and Xbox 360)

Price: $189.99 (includes drums, microphone, guitar and game)

Play: Single, multiplayer

The final boss: Activision strikes back in the rhythm game wars with “Guitar Hero World Tour,” which offers a battery of improvements over “Rock Band” but barely falls short of topping its competitor in overall quality.

Note: Players experiencing sensitivity problems with the “World Tour” drum set can contact RedOctane (www.redoctane.com) for a free midi-USB cable, with which they can tune their drums through a PC program that can be downloaded from RedOctane's Web site.