Roughly a month ago, a band that was formed over 50 years ago rose once again to dominate not only the music charts but the video game world as well.

"The Beatles: Rockband," which hit shelves on September 9, has put a new hype behind Beatles music.

The game play is similar to the regular Rock Bands and Guitar Heroes; for example, there is still the strolling bar that there was in previous games.

Developers of the game had a hard time as they had to fuse both John Lennon and George Harrison’s guitar part together. Most of the time gamers will be playing the main guitar part and not much rhythm.

Along with the guitars, the most famous part of The Beatles was how they harmonized with each other, so to make this game go to the next level, the creators added two more microphone parts to let the gamers harmonize with each other.

Another change the developers made for this game was changing the name of the Overdrive to Bealtemania, which is activated the same way as the regular Rock Band. For a limited time, the game was also sold with two peripherals, which were Paul McCartney’s Höfner bass and Ringo Starr’s Ludwig drum set, with a center drum head that reads "The Beatles". Separate from the bundle are the two guitars form the band, which are John Lennon’s Rickenbacker 325 and George Harrison’s Gretsch Duo Jet. Each of these instruments are sold separately.

The graphics make the characters in the game seem like they are the real Beatles and seem as if they are playing on stage or in the music studio. As the game progresses, the Beatles start to age with their music.

The story mode in the game starts off in Liverpool, the Beatles’ first main act at the Cavern Club in November 1961, and continues through the years and includes the band’s famous Shea Stadium performance in August of 1965.

The game then follows tha band through their studio years from 1967 to 1971, when they officially broke up and each went their separate ways.

This is the main part that the developers stepped into the game and spun it for the gamers. They created a Dreamscape for each song, which depicts the song in the way they see it.

The game features some of the greatest Beatles songs, which include "I Am the Walrus" and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," along with 43 other Beatles songs. On top of the 45 story mode songs, more albums will eventually be available for download.

Overall, the game play is the same as any Rock and and the graphics represent The Beatles in a variety of ways, including all of their different years and acts. The music is all remastered and sounds excellent. The game is a must-buy for any avid Beatles fan. Rockband has added yet another hit game to their growing list of artists.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars