As successful as the Guitar Hero francise has been, up until now its major problem was the impossibility of trying to please everyone with the track listings of games.

The World Tour edition, which expanded the range from featuring only a plastic guitar controller to including drums and a microphone, allowed gamers to rock along to artists as varied as The Foo Fighters, Michael Jackson and even Coldplay (surely the last band to which anyone would ever attribute the phrase 'Guitar Hero').

The latest range of artist-specific games, including the upcoming The Beatles: Rock Band, means you'll never be caught grimly lip-syncing along to Careless Whisper having already played Iron Man until you are able to get a perfect score with your eyes closed.

Guitar Hero Metallica features 28 songs from the band's back catalogue along with a further 20 tunes from guest artists, making for a meatier package than the previous Guitar Hero Aerosmith edition, something which disappointed all but the most enthusiastic Aerosmith fans.

Structurally, the Metallica release is very similar to previous Guitar Hero games but with the welcome change that you no longer have to slog through rubbish tracks early on to unlock decent songs - the game is sensibly paced so every Metallica track is soon available.

General gameplay follows the tried and tested Guitar Hero format but the motion-captured likeness of the band - which is genuinely impressive - does add considerably to the experience and the game is therefore pretty much essential for console-owning Metallica fans.

As with World Tour, if you have access to a full set of instruments you can play the tracks as a full band. Users of the drum kit controller can look forward to a new Expert+ difficulty level which supports twin kick drum pedals (although a second pedal is, sadly, not included).

As ever with games involving specific controllers, the cost involved can be high (the wireless drum kit alone costs £80) and you do need the plastic guitar at the very least . However, if you are a Metallica fan this edition with its 'best of' set list and brilliant presentation stands as your best introduction to the Guitar Hero series.

Here's hoping the theatrical performances of Metallica will inspire fans to post even more ridiculous Guitar Hero videos to YouTube.

Guitar Hero Metallica is out now on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii and Playstation 2