Satriani, Vai rock Guitar Hero DLC

SIDEBAR: Before RedOctane's hit rhythm game franchise turned the gaming industry on its ear, the phrase "Guitar Hero" conjured up names like Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. Oddly enough, the pair of prodigiously talented pickers have been curiously absent from the Guitar Hero games, save for Vai's "Mjolnir Mix" rendition of the Halo theme song.

That changes this week, as Activision today announced the Virtuoso Pack of downloadable songs for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Set for release July 24, the trio of songs includes Satriani, Vai, and a third track from Buckethead, whose "Jordan" set the high-water mark for difficulty in Guitar Hero II.

Satriani's track is "Surfing with the Alien," a highlight from his 1987 album of the same name. Vai pitches in "For the Love of God," while Buckethead's "Soothsayer" rounds out the threesome. No price was announced, but previous three-song packs for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 have sold for $6.25 (500 Microsoft points).

For more on Guitar Hero III, check out GameSpot's review.