For nearly two years now players have loved "rocking out" with the Rock Band franchise. This franchise allowed gamers to get with their friends and create a virtual band. What made Rock Band stand out was its ability to download songs to keep the game up-to-date with the newest and popular songs people are listening to on the radio. While most of the songs fall into the "rock" category" (as the name of the game is Rock Band), the developers decided to do something different with the latest track pack being released. Instead of releasing another classical rock set, or even some of the Top 40 most popular songs, this time gamers will get their hands on the most popular country songs ever made. This makes the franchise stand out even more.

Since this is a track pack, the gameplay hasn't changed; in fact it is actually stripped down from the full Rock Band experience. There are many gameplay modes missing such as: World Tour Mode, band creation, venue selection, and many of the other experiences players expect from this series. Instead there is a quick play mode where players choose one of the 21 songs to play and "have at it." If gamers want to play with friends they can go into the Band Tour mode and play 4 sets of 5 songs, with each set being harder than the previous set. It is a very barebones game.

Another small issue with the game is that even though this is all country music, all of the venues and avatars still have a "Rock/Metal/Punk" look to them. It would have been a nice gesture if there were some new venues introduced in making the avatars look the part. This would mean maybe an extra addition such as apparel selection, hair style selection or different defaults with the country look to them. This then could have been applicable or imported to full Rock Band games. It is strange to see a lead singer with spikes and chains "rocking out" while they are singing a Kenny Rogers or Willie Nelson song on stage.

The good news is that players can test out all the songs, gain the achievement points, and then download all the songs to play with either Rock Band or Rock Band 2.  All players have to do is sign into Xbox Live and redeem the code that is on the back of the instruction book. As long as players have the space necessary they will be able to download all of the tracks and play it with either Rock Band game. This is a really nice feature because this is allows gamers play lists to grow even bigger, and players are not constrained to just pop in this disk when they want to play the country songs.

The real reason anyone will purchase this country track pack is for the music. At the end of the day it honestly comes down to personal preference. Many people would prefer other songs by the artists, but overall it is a very good mix-up. It is also important to keep in mind that this track pack is a real bargain. Players will obtain twenty one songs for only $30, which is a huge price break since the going rate for songs online is $2 per song. This is a savings of over $10.

The Tracks:

• Alan Jackson - Good Time

• Brad Paisley - Mud on the Tires

• Brooks & Dunn - Hillbilly Deluxe

• Cross Canadian Ragweed - Cry Lonely

• Dierks Bentley - Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)

• Dixie Chicks - Sin Wagon

• Drive-By Truckers - 3 Dimes Down

• Jason Aldean - She's Country

• Keith Urban - I Told You So

• Kenny Chesney - She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy

• Kenny Rogers - The Gambler

• Lucinda Williams - Can't Let Go

• Martina McBride - This One's For The Girls

• Miranda Lambert - Gunpowder & Lead

• Montgomery Gentry - Gone

• Rascal Flatts - Me and My Gang

• Sara Evans - Suds In The Bucket

• Shania Twain - Any Man of Mine

• Steve Earle - Satellite Radio

• Trace Adkins - Swing

• Willie Nelson - On the Road Again

Rock Band: Country Track Pack is rated for everyone.

Gameplay: 7.7
The new Country songs really help flesh out the Rock Band catalog. Too bad there were no new gameplay modes or even some new clothes for players to put on their avatars, to really bring the country sensation while on stage playing.

Graphics: 8.0
There are no changes to the graphics engine for this track pack.

Sound: 8.5
The music sounds great.

Difficulty: Easy

Concept: 8.0
It is nice to have extra variety while playing Rock Band.

Multiplayer: 9.0
Gamers will still be able to play with up to four friends with the songs included in this track pack

Overall: 8.1
The new music really adds more flavor to the Rock Band franchise. Best of all players will be able to get all music at a reduced price in-comparison to downloading each of the songs separately online. If you enjoy Country music then this purchase is a no brainer.