Guitar Hero II fever is starting to get a little crazy in the Xbox office. Simon (Gamertag: Trimm Trabb) has stopped shaving and is sporting a handsome beard as he tries to master The Allman Brothers Band’s Jessica on Extreme difficulty. Meanwhile, soft-rock-loving Graeme (Gamertag: AceyBongos) has been perfecting his own rendition of Kansas’ Carry on Wayward Son and with lyrics. While they get on with their nigh-perfect scores, I’m still trying to get through the medium difficulty with five stars on every song and Institutionalized by Suicidal Tendencies is, aptly, driving me insane.

When Harmonix announced their next game this week, it went down very well here at Xbox HQ.  Working with EA, their next game is all about working together and creating your own band. Rock Band will feature four musical outlets for you to try out – you have rhythm and bass guitars much like Guitar Hero 2, and for the first time you’ll also get the options of drums and vocals. We’ve got it all figured out already – Graeme’s karaoke prowess has already guaranteed our vocalist and we’ve got a drummer and a guitarist on the team. Hopefully that means I can get away with bass, which may be a little easier than the other options! Look out for our first hit shortly after the release of Rock Band.

Joining in the rhythm action fun this week are Bizarre Creations, makers of Project Gotham Racing with their next arcade game, Boom Boom Rocket. Fans of their previous game Geometry Wars should rush over to Marketplace now and check out this fantastic festival of fireworks set to some classic tunes (and by classic, we’re talking funked up versions of all sorts of music including the 1812 Overture). It looks absolutely stunning and the fun is addictive. The game works by firing various rockets up to a purple line along the top of the screen. When the rocket hits the line, you have to hit the corresponding button on the rocket and the firework will go off in time to the music.

Boom Boom Rocket has a similar sort of feel to Geometry Wars when it comes to wanting to go back and beat your best scores. The achievements range from easy-to-get to brutally tough (much like getting a million points on Geometry Wars) and you will want to get them all, believe me! One of the best things about it is the ability to play with your friends on the sofa, setting off large displays to music you’ll recognise. And when you feel you’re ready for a bigger challenge, hard mode is not to be underestimated!

Between Boom Boom Rocket and Guitar Hero 2, we all hope to be talented musicians by the end of the month. So long as nobody gives us a real instrument to play, of course...

By Mark Eveleigh, Xbox.com Editor. Gamertag: Making Sparks