In its brief lifetime, the Guitar Hero franchise, with its carefully chosen rawk cover versions and small plastic Gibson, has supplied the fleeting feeling of rock god-status to millions and in the process made itself something of a geek institution. The recent launch of Guitar Hero II on Xbox 360 (accompanied by howls of derision at the cost of downloading extra songs) prompted a Gene Simmons-fronted Times Square PR stunt for its US release, with the rocker accompanying Guitar Hero II gamers on classic KISS track Strutter. The activity has made miniature fake guitars once again the distinctive flavour of the week. As well as their more conventional use, one fan has modified his toy axe to control the classic first person shooter, Halo. Search YouTube for Guitar Halo and derive much amusement from the sight of a man gently strumming a half-sized model guitar in order to take out enemies with a rocket launcher.

· Guitar Hero II, Xbox 360, Activision, £70