Until recently, wannabe rock stars were limited in how to live out the dream: embarrass themselves at karaoke bars or dance in front of the mirror plucking a tennis racket. Then came the wildly popular Guitar Hero, where players plug a guitar-shaped controller into a console and attempt to strum along to rock's greatest hits. If you play well, the crowd cheers you on, you unlock new songs and play bigger venues. Hit too many sour notes and you're booed offstage. Cutthroat? Sure. But, hey, that's showbiz. Fans of pastel, Spandex and hairspray will enjoy strumming through the latest version: Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s.

This PS2 exclusive offers pop songs, hair metal ballads and new wave tracks from the 1980s. While it doesn't mess with the Guitar Hero formula much, it's a fun -- and nostalgic -- ride through that "tubular" decade. Not unlike the other Guitar Hero games, you can choose an on-screen avatar, a name for your band and whether you'd like to play an individual song or the meatier Career mode, which challenges you to work your way up from a teeny bar to a huge outdoor stadium. Song selections range from head-banging rockers such as The Scorpions' "No One Like You" and Twisted Sister's "I Wanna Rock" to pop hits such as The Romantics' "What I Like About You" and The Vapors' "Turning Japanese." They're all cover tunes but sound close to the original recordings -- sort of. A handful of the 30 or so songs seems like filler material, such as obscure tracks from Faster Pussycat, Oingo Boingo, X and Limozeen.

Cooperative and competitive two-player modes add to the fun; a friend can plug in a second guitar controller to jam together (one takes lead; the other rhythm guitar or bass) or compete in a duel to see who can rack up the most points.