Guitar Hero on the DS is good on the road, but it is no substitute for the Guitar Hero fans are used to.
But before we get to the actual game, let's talk about what has the fans interested in the first place: the all-new Guitar Grip. This is what you will be using to rock out on the DS. The way it works is basically the same as the larger guitar with two minor differences: the frets are smaller and the orange fret is missing, meaning you only get four buttons to use. It comes with a velcro strap you put your hand into.
Most likely, you have heard that the Grip has some major problems, like the fact that it is uncomfortable, which is not entirely true; it is all about how you are playing (Resting your hand on something soft is the best way I found to avoid discomfort). Also, another problem with the Grip, which may not be a problem yet is the fact that it is inserted into the Game Boy Advance slot, meaning that players looking to getting the upcoming DSi will miss out on On Tour.
Now on to the game. The core gameplay is basically unchanged from the series: hold down the fret buttons and strum the guitar while rocking out to a handful of songs. To play, you tilt the DS sideways. The notes appear on the top screen and you strum with the Touch Screen. Strumming holds up okay but at times, and especially in Guitar Duels, strumming is unreliable. Star Power is activated though many ways: blowing into the mic, and pressing either Select, A, B, X, Y, or and D-pad button, but not L or R (which would have mad a lot more sense).
The first problem with the actual game is that you only get a total of 26 songs, which is a HUGE drop when compared to Guitar Hero III's 70+ songs and World Tour's 80+ songs plus music studio. This wouldn't be as big a problem if the songs stood out, but they don't. The thing is that there isn't enough rock and some of the songs I liked more came from previous GH games (e.x. Hit Me With Your Best Shot, Helicopter, etc.)
There is also the "new" Guitar Duel mode, which is basically Battle Mode renamed. I like battle mode in GH III, but in this game it kind of sucks. Rather than using powers to make your opponent fail, you must simply keep them from scoring points. One of the biggest annoyances I had was the notes in Expert mode. Most of the time the notes don't really match the song and you are given notes intended to trip you up. This makes the game harder than it needs to be. There is also multiplayer, but no Wi-Fi, which would have given this game a much higher score.
But all problems aside, this is still a good game for music fans, and to the best of my knowledge it is by far the best rhythm game on the DS market. Like I said before it is good on the road, but don't expect to be playing this more than the console version