The original Rock Band was the first video game to bring the band experience into the lounge.

Sure, Sing Star and Guitar Hero had been baby steps in the right direction, but Rock Band brought everything together in a single package.

Now, though, Guitar Hero has fought back with its ensemble piece, so Rock Band 2 is facing a tougher market.

This time around players can look forward to a disc stuffed with 84 songs, including tracks from Beck, Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac and Nirvana, plus songs from the original title can be imported for a one-off fee.

The difficulty ratings have been made more reliable and a handful of new modes added to keep it on track.