Aspiring American Idols, warm up with Sony's 12 million-selling karaoke simulation series, which is a massive hit overseas. Despite its small selection of songs, including OutKast's "Hey Ya" and Weezer's "Buddy Holly," and technically lacking in conventional gameplay, it's nonetheless a great way to rock the night away. Thank the use of actual music videos, an online store for purchasing new tunes and options to film and share footage of your performances online using the PlayStation Eye USB camera.

The PS3 base package includes two microphones, through which would-be pop stars can croon together or against one another. Action itself is relatively simple, as on-screen lyrics complete with horizontal bars indicate which words to sing and how long to hold associated notes. Though not always completely accurate (for added fun, try making up your own lines while lip-synching on lower difficulty levels), play proves a reasonable approximation of the actual tune-generating process. As such, friends will have a blast caterwauling to Blind Melon's "No Rain" and Britney Spears' "Toxic," or dozens of additional downloadable tracks ($1.50 each).

Per first-hand tests, the game proves to be a genuine crowd-pleaser, albeit a passing, candy-coated delight compared to in-depth rivals like Rock Band or Guitar Hero. Females will flock to the experience, making it a great date-night choice, especially with duet options available. The concept is ultimately solid, replay value strong and appeal to untraditional audiences palpable, making this less game than group activity. Still, guaranteed to get virtually everybody up and cheering, it's one solid encore performance.