Guitar Heroism returns for a third instalment and not only has some new tricks up its sleeve, but also graces a Nintendo console for the first time.

The game comes with a rather nifty looking guitar which is modeled on the Gibson Les Paul. The guitar itself is quite comfortable to hold and feels solidly built; although just like a real guitar it wont hold up to axe swinging.

The button layout is very similar the previous guitar controllers, with each console having its own unique characteristics, the Wii controller for example, having the addition of the Wii remote slot and the + and - buttons.

One area where Guitar Hero fails is the lack of left handed support, the option to purchase a left handed guitar as apposed to the standard right handed would have addressed this imbalance.

Some of you might be wondering why this is such a big deal since all you need to do is hold the guitar upside down to play left handed. This is fine in theory but it does affect the way you play the game, the problem is the whammy bar, which for a left hander like myself puts it out of reach and then requires you to move your hand to take advantage of the long notes and gain extra points.

As a result I find myself ignoring the whammy bar unless the note is a reasonable lengh; personally I find it amazing that a product with such a large audience could have such a lazy oversight. The reason for not catering to us lefties is an obvious financial one and unfortunately reduces your gaming experience.

The game itself follows the now standard format that the previous titles used, play your way up from being just a garage band to super-stardom, progressing through each stage by completing the songs and earning money to spend in the shop. Notable differences being the inclusion of boss battles that take the form of guitar duels against famous guitar players, like Slash from Gun N Roses.

Overall Guitar Hero III is very entertaining and even though I found the game a little tough going to start off with, my skill has definitely improved and often find myself playing through difficult patches (albeit on easy) with a strange almost Jedi-like dexterity, it doesn’t last long but its definitely the most satisfying aspect of the game when it happens.

Ultimately though, from a left handed gamer Guitar Hero III is good but fails true god of rock status due to its glaring lack of left handed support which you are reminded of in every song.