Since the music game genre really kicked off (in the West) with Guitar Hero gamers have gotten their nimble digits on plastic guitars, drums, turntables, keytars and a variety of other music instrument simulacra. Musiic Party: Rock the House does away with all that and offers gamers the chance to play some music using just the Wii Remote and Nunchuck.

Like Nintendo's own Wii Music from several years ago dtp entertainment's Musiic Party: Rock the House doesn't try and give gamers the chance to hone or demonstrate their musical talent, rather it intends to allow everyone to have a bit of fun playing music. The game was actually released in America a few years ago but it has just been released in Europe. Just how much fun is a music game without the instruments though?

The controls in Musiic Party: Rock The House are split into two varieties; guitar/bass and drums. All instruments can be played with just a Wii Remote but a Nunchuck is recommended, for both ease of use and a semblance more reality to the actual instruments.

For the guitar and bass the directional pad on the nunchuck is used to point in the direction of the note (up, down, left or right) and you flick the Remote to strum. Longer notes are held by keeping the Remote pointed down and in mulitplayer mode the 'C' button is used to either save or attack another player. If you'd prefer to play with just the Wii Remote the direction is chosen with the d-pad and strumming is achieved by moving the Remote up and down.

The drums are controlled differently, relying more on the motion controls of both the Wii Remote and Nunchuck. As notes fall from the top you must shake either the Wii Remote or Nunchuck the moment they hit the activation area and in harder difficulty settings different coloured notes appear and they are activated using the same method but while holding either the Z or B button. When you aren't using the Nunchuck the controls are given to buttons, meaning there are no motion controls and it all becomes a bit fiddly.

Numerous archetypes of the genre are to be found in Musiic Party: Rock the House. If you play well enough you can activate 'Nova mode', similar to Guitar Hero's star power, to gain extra points. On the other end of the spectrum if you keep missing notes you will get booed off stage. You can also earn up to four medals by hitting a chain of notes correctly and if you get all four you see a special celebration video at the end of the song.

Musiic Party: Rock the House has two primary gameplay modes: single-player and multiplayer. The single-player mode contains both a quick play mode and a story mode. In the story mode you must select between either a male or female character and then progress from runaway wannabe to fully-fledged rock star. The story, told through comic books panels, is hardly groundbreaking but it is entertaining enough. Unfortunately it is exactly the same story regardless of character choice.

As you progress through the story mode you will earn extra outfits, instrument designs and songs that can be changed or accessed elsewhere in the game. You will also be made to try out all the different instruments, so anyone with a penchant for a particular instrument may be annoyed but at least it encourages variety. The music playing is occasionally interrupted by roadie tasks, such as fine-tuning guitars, responding to fan mail etc. These can either act as welcome breaks or annoying diversions, depending on the game and your patience, but if you do enjoy them they can be played again later. The story mode itself will keep you going for a few hours and of course there is always the temptation to keep redoing it to get perfect scores.

The multiplayer mode allows you and friends to test your skills against or with each other. If you are playing together up to three people can play but if you want to get competitive only two players can. In this mode you must collect medals, by achieving combos, to unlock weapons. The weapons (fire, ice, smoke and thunderbolt) can then be used against the other player so that you can beat them.

So how well does the game hold up? I hate to use the term 'casual game' but it seems appropriate here for obvious reasons. Anyone looking to realistically replicate the music-playing experience won't turn to a game that doesn't allow you to do that but if you want to jam with some friends and you, or your friends, lack the dexterity to pluck away at a guitar, real or plastic, then Musiic Party: Rock the House may be for you.

The controls can be abstract, particularly if using just the Wii Remote, and the reliance on well timed motion to strum guitars or play the drums can be annoying due to potential latency lags. This can be adjusted within the settings but it is an inevitable issue with time-based motion controls. I found the drums to be particularly problematic due to the Nunchuck's lag but once you become aware of it you can adjust your own timing.

Another important aspect of the rhythm genre is, of course, the music. This title features over 30 songs from a variety of artists, including some odd choices such as James Blunt (or at least it is an odd choice for a game with the subtitle 'Rock the House'), and they are all performed by cover bands. The covers range from acceptable to poor, in terms of singing at least, and this is bound to annoy purists.

It is hard to rate or recommend a game like this as the enjoyment of the game will rely upon the individual playing it. If you just want a bit of fun, don't like (or can't use) plastic instruments and aren't looking for the most accurate music game then you may find this enjoyable. However, if you're a huge Guitar Hero and/or Rock Band fan then this game probably won't be for you.