We can work it out

The Beatles: Rock Band videogame will attract fans old and new. Photo / Supplied

When you're dealing with a royal rock legacy like that left by The Beatles, it has to be done with the respect and style that it deserves - especially when the Fab Four are finding their way into a videogame.

The Beatles: Rock Band is a long-awaited addition to Electronic Arts' successful music game franchise.

Players copy songs using a variety of instruments - drums, guitar, bass, microphone - to match on-screen cues.

It doesn't sound that difficult, but without rhythm and at least some appreciation of the music that you're "playing", it all comes to a grinding halt and you start again.

The game was time to coincide with yesterday's 9/09/09 release of the band's back catalogue - and it's set to introduce a whole new group of people to the strangely addictive world of music games.

It was announced earlier this year at E3 - the gaming industry's annual showcase in Los Angeles - with Beatles widows Olivia Harrison and Yoko Ono putting in an appearance, only to be solidly upstaged by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.

"The game is good," Ringo told the thousands-strong crowd of game geeks and media, "the graphics were very good and we were great."

"We love the game," McCartney quipped, "but who would have thought we would end up as androids?"

EA even released a new set of custom instruments to mirror The Beatles' signature gear - there's Lennon's "Rick" 325, George Harrison's Gretsch Duo and Sir Paul's trademark Hofner bass. Oh, and Ringo's Ludwig drums, but they were never used particularly well, anyway.

Players watch displays for each instrument - or three mikes, including back-up singers - and ape them in time to the music. Get it wrong and it sounds like a trainwreck, get it right and it's 60s glory at its finest.

This is likely to have mums and dads across the planet hijacking gaming consoles to bust out their Beatles faves - at the same time introducing a generation of pimply-faced youths to some of the greatest music ever made.

It plays similarly to the original Rock Band, but perhaps hedged a bit to recognise the potential new audience.

Once you've picked a song - there are 45 here, divided into different challenge levels - you choose your instrument and then select levels.

Easy is beyond basic - if you can tap your foot to a song, you should be able to push five buttons corresponding with colours without too much drama. Medium level is also easier than before, but extreme requires the sort of dexterity and reaction speed that only people young enough not to remember anything about The Beatles will be capable of mustering.

It can be played with up to six people - playing a party title like Rock Band solo is a little bit wrong.

In full 1080p high-definition, the main game career mode maps The Beatles' career from the early days at the Cavern Club through to classic performances at Shea Stadium and Budokan, even the Apple Corps rooftop show.

The band is extremely well-rendered, with each venue digitally recreated to suit the stage of the group's climb to uber-stardom. In the Maharishi era, graphics are psychedelic works of art that may well give the odd reformed hippy some quality acid flashbacks.

Critics of these types of game group titles like Rock Band and the Guitar Hero franchise with pub karaoke - in the "not proper music" sense.

As a guitar player myself, to some level I agree. But there's no doubt that some who play these games will gather enough musical momentum to try the real thing.

As trips down memory lane go, the line-up of songs is impressive - ranging from Twist and Shout, Come Together and I Am the Walrus, through to the challenging Octopus' Garden.

On top of the 45 tracks showcased on The Beatles: Rock Band, full albums will be downloadable to play in-game.

This is likely to be one of the year's strongest sellers - as a game it's impressive, as a historical footnote it's entertaining, and for a group of fans wanting to be there as it was, it's unbeatable.