Guitar Rock Tour: It's like playing guitar on your iPhone except not at all.

I love Guitar Hero.  I am not a master by any means, but I can shred your face off on medium and hold my own on hard. So I was curious--could the experience be duplicated for the iPhone?  In a word, no.  But Guitar Rock Tour by Gameloft gives you a new and fun experience in a familiar and well-adapted package.

Whenever HAL9000 is playing this game in public, I have an insatiable need to scream, "FREEBIRD!"

The basics are the same as in Guitar Hero.  You start as an upstart band playing shows across the country to gain money and notoriety.  You move through both popular and indie songs, tapping the notes as they come at you.  This isn't nearly as rewarding as the full-sized guitar gameplay on your full-sized game console, but it's about the closest approximation you can hope to get.  And it is fairly addictive in its own fun way, even if the load time is a little high.

Gameplay is very well designed.  As with other Gameloft games, you can turn the phone upside-down to make sure your fingers don't obscure the speakers, which is a blessing that should not be overlooked.  Also, when making chords, the app gives you the option of sliding across both notes instead of using two fingers.  This is fortunate considering the crowded nature of the four-across fret board.  The app includes most Guitar Hero staples, including the Guitar Rock Tour approximation of "Star Power" in the form of a badass lever.

This screenshot looks like it comes from a Miami Vice game for the NES. By which I mean it's BADASS.

In addition to fun gameplay (and a "Quick Play" mode that works similarly to Guitar Hero), Guitar Rock Tour offers a "Tour" mode that allows you to unlock songs and presents a simple storyline as your band slowly progresses to greatness, one gig at a time.  It ain't going to win any awards for writing, but it's a nice little add-on that elevates the app beyond the realm of "time waster."

You can also play both game modes as a drummer, tapping with the beat as it comes flying at you.  It's more of a Rock Band feature, and helps change things up when you feel like the game is getting redundant.

But you may pose the question of, "Why, HAL9000, would I pay $5.99 for this app when I can get Tap Tap Revenge for free."  The answer is a complicated one.

These days, Nirvana == rhythm games.

If you are not an avid Rock Band or Guitar Hero fan, then stick with the free app.  It's fun, simple, and will effectively waste your time.

If you enjoy those other games, however, this is the only iPhone app that will offer a true approximation of their gameplay.  Tap Tap Revenge focuses on beat-heavy music, and playing along is more about rhythm than anything else.  Guitar Rock Tour really tries to mimic the guitar experience, playing along with the lead guitars in the songs, providing chords and combos, and offering four frets (compared to Revenge's three) to help mimic melodies.

Don't laugh; The White Stripes get by on half of this percussion.

Also, Tap Tap Revenge offers no tour mode, has lesser graphics (not a big deal to me, but worth mentioning), and doesn't have real rock songs.  Instead you are left with a series of pop/club songs, most of which I can't stand, personally.

In the end, I think the $5.99 pricetag is a bit much, but the game is very fun and addicting.  Does it give you the feeling of shredding onstage before thousands of people?  Not so much.  But it does give you hand cramps.  And a feeling of false accomplishment when you beat your high scores.  Sometimes I don't need to be a Rock God--I just want to tap my way to mediocrity.

Click Here to purchase this app.