What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that even though there are some mildly offensive lyrics, this game is appropriate for players 10 and older (despite the "Teen" rating). Some songs have the words bleeped out, such as Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" ("I got this f--king thorn in my side") while other lyrics are kept as-is, such as The Hives' "Main Offender" ("I'm stuck in ways of being an a--"). This game is best for social settings since players get different instruments to play. It can also be played online, which Common Sense Media doesn't recommend for anyone under age 12.

Families can talk about how the savvy developer, Harmonix, built on a popular concept -- Guitar Hero -- and expanded on it ambitiously by adding drums, bass, and vocals, too. What does this game teach you about being in a rock band? Does it seem easy or do you have a new appreciation for the work that goes into becoming a really good rock band? Since the Special Edition Bundle comes with a drum controller, did the game give you a sense of what it's like to play the drums?

Common Sense Media Review
ROCK BAND, the eagerly anticipated music game, lets you live out your dream -- virtually -- as you play guitar, bass, and drums and sing your way to stardom.

From Harmonix, the savvy game developers behind the mega-popular Guitar Hero games, comes this ambitious complete band experience, which is best enjoyed with a group of friends -- each tackling a different instrument in front of the same television, or even over the Internet.

While at $169.99 it might be out of reach for some Microsoft Xbox 360 or Sony PlayStation 3 gamers, packed into this Rock Band Special Edition Bundle is the game, a collapsible drum kit (featuring four tom tom pads and a kick pedal), real drumsticks, a Fender Stratocaster guitar (which can also be used to play bass lines), microphone, and four-in-one USB hub to plug everything into the game console at the same time. If you already own a Guitar Hero guitar and don't want to play any other instruments, you can opt for the stand-alone game at $59.99.

Similar to the Guitar Hero games, players form a band and work their way up from rags to riches by pleasing fans and racking up points, and then unlocking bigger and bigger venues. In front of the animated band performing on stage is a kind of giant guitar fret board with a camera that sails down it as the song plays to show players which notes/drums to hit at certain points in the song. Color-coded buttons on the guitar neck and drum pads must be hit at the correct time, while the singer must follow the karaoke-style lyrics to hit the right note at the right time, for the proper length of that note. It sounds difficult, and for new or younger players it is, but there is a practice mode and multiple levels of difficulty. (Arguably, the drums are the most challenging to master, but once you get into the rhythm you won't let your band mates down.)

Play well and the virtual crowd cheers you on, but fumble too many times and you might just get booed offstage. However, the game provides a way for band mates to save each other when they are struggling in a song.