Charlie Daniels damns Guitar Hero III's devilish climax

SIDEBAR: In a recent update to the Soapbox section of his official Web site, Charlie Daniels rails against Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, the rhythm game that climaxes with a hard rock cover of his biggest hit, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." But it's not the rock reworking that bothers him; it's that the song appears in a climactic guitar duel with the devil.

"The song... is supposed to be a lighthearted novelty about a fiddling contest between a country boy and the devil and the devil always loses," Daniels wrote. "That is not the case with the Guitar Hero version which comes complete with a horned, guitar-playing devil who battles the player and very often wins. I want any of you parents out there whose children have this game to know that I did not grant these people my permission to pervert my song and am disgusted with the result."

Daniels said he lost the publishing rights to "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" years ago in a settlement with a former partner. He added that he never would have allowed such a use of it, and was upset with the rights' owners that allowed Guitar Hero III to "violate the very essence of the song."

Though Daniels may "vehemently disagree" with the content of Guitar Hero III, his advice for parents with children adopts a different stance than many gaming critics have in recent years.

"This game looks innocent enough but if you have a child who is playing it, take the time to sit with him or her while they're playing along and take a serious look at the images on the screen," Daniels wrote. "You may be surprised at the world they're being exposed to."