The Beat: “The Beatles: Rock Band” review

Iconfess, I have a somewhat elitist attitude toward "Rock Band" and "Guitar Hero."

Why, I often preach to any unfortunate person in my vicinity, do I need to bang on a rubber-padded fake drum kit from a game when I could make some real noise on the real drums I've been playing for 20 years? Believe me, I've turned pounding along to Billy Joel and U2 CDs into its own art form.

That hasn't prevented me from occasionally being sucked into the time warp that occurs whenever someone pulls out a copy of "Rock Band" or "Guitar Hero" -- I've probably lost a year's worth of time playing with nephews and cousins when, you know, absolutely necessary.

But I've always walked away feeling unfulfilled by the game and inspired to pick up my real sticks again.

So thanks, video-game creator Harmonix, for completely messing up my theory with your creation of "The Beatles: Rock Band."

The game, which arrived in stores yesterday (as did The Beatles' original catalog in remastered splendor), strives to provide a complete sensory experience. It's not only about pushing the colored buttons on the guitar or tapping the drum pedal every time an orange bar whizzes across the play bar, but it's also truly entertainment.

The graphics, monitored by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, are a kaleidoscopic wonder, from the bizarre marching animals in the introduction clip to the eerily realistic animated band members playing underwater amid psychedelic swirls during "Yellow Submarine."

The setting of each song -- the Cavern Club, Shea Stadium, Abbey Road studio, the farewell performance on the rooftop of the Apple building -- includes not only painstaking visual detail but also snippets of real conversation among the band members taken from studio footage.

Frankly, such intriguing features often distract from watching the play bar and keeping up with the song, since anyone who has played these games knows the greatest skill is having sharp eyesight.

But the coolest aspect of the game comes if you choose to follow The Beatles' "story." You'll start in the Cavern Club and end on that roof, and as each period of the band's career is completed, a series of bonus features is unlocked.

I'm not sure which had me more momentarily slack-jawed: hearing a rare Christmas song from the very young band, followed by silly banter among the boys as they wished their fans a happy holiday, or watching "The Ed Sullivan Show" rehearsal footage of "I Want to Hold Your Hand."

In an effort to reveal as many special videos and photos as possible, nearly every night for a week, I played my advance copy of the game -- sometimes dragging an unwitting husband along to poke at the guitar notes, or a cousin to amusingly attempt the serpentine lyrics of "I Am the Walrus" and unsurprisingly, it is more fun "performing" with a group of people. (The Beatles game allows for three microphones for harmony effects and up to six participants instead of the usual four.)

But most nights I was a solo act, bouncing through the 45 available songs arranged by level of difficulty and cockily diving into "Dear Prudence" on "expert" mode until I completely lost my rhythm during the last quarter of the song. Humbled, I dropped a level to "hard" and muddled through to its completion.

Also giving me fits -- and a new respect for the oft-maligned drumming of Starr were "I Wanna Be Your Man" and "Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows," which contain many more rapid drum fills than you might think.

A few times I tried playing guitar or bass -- and, happily, a nice English man's voice is available for a tutorial -- and tentatively endeavored to finish "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" on "easy" mode. Why I chose a song with a guitar solo from Eric Clapton as my first foray into "Rock Band" guitar playing tells you that either I really like a challenge, or I'm an idiot.

Also, though I can't play a real guitar, this plastic version is more like the'80s game Simon -- push the colors on command -- than anything resembling reality, and while I enjoyed my McCartney moment as the bassist on "Getting Better," I was also bored. And my wrists hurt.

But I'm not elitist enough to admit that I relished getting lost in the vibrant collision of great music and intriguing backdrops that "The Beatles: Rock Band" offers.

As Starr recently commented, "It's easier to be the real Ringo than the game Ringo," which confirms everything you've heard from musicians about these games: They're addictively fun, and they expose younger generations to some amazing songs. But if you really want to play, spend your money on an instrument and some lessons.

Contact Melissa Ruggieri at (804) 649-6120 or . Follow her at http://twitter.com/MRuggieri