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MANILA, Philippines—Harmonix Music System has given people a fun alternative to a weekend gig, with its Rock Band.

The game is playable on Playstation 2 and 3, Xbox 360, and the Wii. It gives four friends a chance to rock it out in the privacy of their den, living room, or bedroom.

The game consists of musical instruments—two guitars (one for lead guitar, one for bass), a drum set and a microphone—which allow players to feel like a true rock band.

The screen is divided into four parts, one for each instrument.

For the vocalist, the screen gives the lyrics and the pitch, just like a karaoke machine.

If there’s no vocal part but there’s a need for instrumentation, like a tambourine or cowbell, one can tap the microphone when the symbol for the instrument passes the green line.

For the guitar or bass, notes scroll down the screen, and one has to press the correct fret button and push against the strumming mechanism. It’s quite similar to Guitar Hero.

For the drummer, as the note passes the line, one hits the drum pad.

It seems simple enough but timing is essential. One can be booed off the stage and the song won’t finish.

Band members can save one another by playing special moves— the drummer plays a drum solo, the vocalist adlibs, the guitarist raises the guitar to the air—and the song plays on.

One gets points for playing well and for working for the team.

Fun functions include naming one’s rocker and choosing his appearance by specifying his color of hair, body type, height, and how he rocks on screen.

Popular selections include Are You Going To Be My Girl (Jet), Creep (Radiohead), Learn to Fly (Foo Fighters), Maps (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Don’t Fear the Reaper (Blue Oyster Cult) and a whole lot more.

The game is a guaranteed non-stop rocking affair. More songs are available on-line—songs by David Bowie, Nirvana, Oasis, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc.

The game is so popular that it has already sold over three million units worldwide and players from all over the world have downloaded over 15 million songs since the game’s release.

Rock Band 2 will be released later this year with more features and more songs that will ensure countless hours of living out all your rock and roll dreams.