With Activision now seen as the world’s number one publisher, it was a little acquisition of Red Octane which really got things cooking. Red Octane together with Harmonix had come up with what would become one of the biggest names in gaming of the mid 2000's, Guitar Hero. Vicarious Visions have been a dedicated handheld developer working with Activision for many years and so the idea of Guitar Hero portable came about. However it seemed impossible to make a handheld game which replicates the feel of Guitar Hero without actually having a guitar. Well, the results are in, and they are indifferent. While there is no doubt that Guitar Hero: On Tour is an amazing technical achievement, we can't help but feel that we want more, and there are a few stark differences which really hurt the system.

For those who have been under a rock, Guitar Hero is a rhythm based music game where you hit notes on a peripheral in time with some moving buttons on screen. Guitar Hero excelled because it did somewhat replicate the feel of holding a guitar and rocking out at a concert. It is also a very pick up and play title, something which was going to be crucial if it was to succeed. First things first. Guitar Hero: On Tour is a successful port of Guitar Hero to the portable console. Whilst playing with a hand peripheral instead of a guitar, it really does feel as if you are playing a Guitar Hero game. The DS also handles the gameplay with aplomb, but with that said, there are many problems.

First of all, the storyline is just plain boring. While it is true that it is tacked on, in this case they may as well have done without it. You play through various areas such as a subway through to a major world tour stadium, and have a text based update in between missions. Also, in On Tour, the encore song is not optional which in some cases can be frustrating. So the storyline is a big disappointment. Second of all, the song list. Only twenty five songs are included which does sound like a lot but when you consider that the DS game can not be updated with downloadable content, after a few hours you really have seen everything the game offers. But once again, we digress. Guitar Hero is not about song lists, or storyline - it’s about the gameplay. You can customise characters however and there is a huge amount of licensed items in the game which does stand out.

This is where the game shines, at least, when you can get a good enough grip with the peripheral. Shipping with every copy is a peripheral which plugs into the Nintendo DS. The default configuration is for the DS Lite, but for those still with the older systems, a clip has been provided for that system as well although we can't imagine it being comfortable at all. The peripheral is quite hard to get a grip of. It is a very good workout for your fingers however and when you pull off an incredibly hard move, it still feels just as good. From there you press the buttons and strum on the DS screen to make the music. You can also choose to yell into the microphone, but Vicarious Visions have also allowed the star power to be enabled with buttons, which is a bit less embarrassing than it could have been on public transport.

The song list, while good in spots, is a bit disappointing. Some of the world’s biggest bands appear in the game, but you have to wonder if No Doubt really has a place in a game which is all about strong guitar riffs and rocking out. One of the world’s best guitarists in Santana is finally included but that is countered by incredibly daft inclusions such as Maroon 5. There is no doubt Activision realised that the DS target market would be different and we can appreciate that, but when we are used to such classic songs such as ‘Sweet Child of Mine’ by Guns n Roses, it is a hard pill to swallow.

There are a number of game modes to take on including a battle mode. In the battle mode you can either play the AI or against another DS owner, where you take each other on trying to earn power ups to use against the enemy. Power ups include flipping screens, turning sound off and speeding up the game. At the end of the song, the player which has the higher crowd rating wins. It is a nice sideline to the single player but there is no doubt the replay value comes from trying to beat the game time and time again, which isn’t ideal thanks to the track list.

Visually the game gets a lot right. The DS has the full guitar hero interface complete with a band rocking out in the background and the frame rate never skips a beat. Also, the response time between Stylus and game is impeccable. Not once did we find ourselves frustrated with missing notes due to system mistiming. When you get it wrong you really get it wrong. The sound works well but Activision does recommend headphones and we can only agree.

Guitar Hero: On Tour is a technical achievement that is a nice start for the series on DS. We have no doubt that this game will continue on this platform and they have laid the groundwork to build a big handheld franchise, but some crucial design decisions were made which really hurt the game, not the least the track list. On Tour is a nice start, but there is definitely a bit of work to be done.