DJ Hero is not really like DJ-ing, but it's as close as anyone is going to get without buying two turntables and a mixer.

Having spent six years as a disc-jockey - I have six crates of records and a large coffin containing all my gear to prove it - DJ Hero is a title that holds particular appeal.

Why wouldn't it? With the resurgence in the popularity of DJ culture, people everywhere are eager to capture a glimpse of what it's like to play to a crowd, control the mood of the room and bop and groove to great dance music.

The game manages to mimic these experiences and creates a great party atmosphere that will have any dance music lovers pumping their fists in the air and pretending to scratch, fade and mix tracks like a real DJ.

As opposed to other rhythm-based-games that come with instrument-shaped controllers, this game ships with a miniature turntable and crossfader, just like ``real DJs'' have. Buttons to ``play'' the songs are mounted on the turntable.

Players then pick from more than 80 music mixes, which have been made exclusively for the game by some of the biggest names in the DJ world. DJ Jazzy Jeff, Grandmaster Flash, the late DJ AM and even DJ Shadow have mixed some of the strangest and most creative tracks ever released.

Who knew that Gwen Stefani's Hollaback Girl mixes so well with Rick James's Give It To Me Baby from 1981? Or Rihanna's Disturbia is the perfect match for Disco Inferno by the Trammps? Evidently, the creative minds behind DJ Hero did and those mixes are just a sampling of the more than 100 songs that have been mixed together to make tracks for the game.

Like other rhythm-based games, DJ Hero takes players from baby steps to a full run. In the beginning, players are basically just pressing coloured buttons to the beat of the music. Then scratching is introduced and finally the crossfader. Soon, players will be expected to scratch in a specific direction, while jostling the crossfader back and forth while tapping those coloured buttons to keep everything going, while a virtual crowd dances to the rhythm. It's hectic, difficult and gets player's adrenalin pumping.

The game also offers a head-to-head mode, allowing two DJs, with two turntable controllers, to play against one another. Or, for players who may have a Guitar Hero guitar controller lying around, there is a play mode that allows two players to play together. One can play guitar and the other on the turntable.

Finally, for players who love the mixes in the game and want to share it with a group of people, DJ Hero has a party mode that just plays the music of the game. It's like having a personal DJ at your next party and there is plenty of music to keep things grooving.

Basically, DJ Hero is to dance music what Guitar Hero and Rockband are to rock music. It's a welcome addition to a genre of music that was previously being overlooked by the gaming industry.

Don't fool yourself: Just as Guitar Hero will not teach you to play a real guitar, people cannot learn to DJ by playing this game. But, DJ Hero may be enough to inspire budding turntablists to take the next step and actually learn the craft. For the rest of us, retired DJs included, we can now experience the rush through a virtual DJ's eyes.

Ottawa Citizen