If you're familiar with the console games Guitar Hero I, II, or III for Xbox and PlayStation (with PC and Mac versions coming real soon now), you'll grok the new iPod game Phase instantly. Like Guitar Hero, Phase is a game of split-second timing -- clicking the proper doo-dads at just the right time and in time with the music.

Here's how it works: You start by selecting songs from your iTunes library and adding them to the special Phase Music playlist that appears in iTunes once you install the game. Then, choose a song from that playlist and get ready to rock.

As you listen to the song, "notes," the green circles in the picture below, come flying toward you. The object is to click the appropriate button on your iPod -- Previous ( |<< ) for notes on the left, Select (the middle button) for notes in the center, or Next ( >>| ) for notes on the right -- at precisely the right time.

Here's what it looks like:

So in the picture above I'd have to click the "Previous" button, then the "Select" button, then the "Next" button twice followed by another click of the "Previous" button. Each click has to occur at the precise moment the "note" crosses the horizontal line near the bottom of the screen, like the green note in the lower left corner of the picture denoted by the "Click 'previous' button" arrow.

Most notes are green but every so often there are some blue "bonus" notes that offer additional points. And last but not least, there are also "flowing sweeps" that you have to glide over using the click wheel, as shown here:

To score points in the picture above I'd have to glide my iPod's click wheel left, then right, then left again, synchronizing my movements with the position of the little blue dots. Then, when I'm done with that I'll have to almost immediately click Next, Select, Next, and Select as the green notes pass under the horizontal line.

The pink X5 you see on the right in the picture above denotes the "bonus multiplier," which goes up when you hit notes and sweeps without making a mistake. But as soon as you miss even a single note or sweep, it drops back to zero. Grrrrr!

At the end of each song/level (assuming you make it to the end of the song/level), you see stats including your longest run of notes without a mistake, your point score (upper left; 17, 325 in the picture above)), number of stars earned (the green stars on the right; 3.5 in the picture above)), and the number of lives you have left (the red hearts on the left; 4 in the picture above) .

Phase creates a game level for each song you add to its special playlist, and each song/level can be played at your choice of difficulty -- easy, medium, or hard. I have no trouble finishing levels on the easy setting but I'm still struggling with medium and get creamed every time I try it on hard.

There are two ways you can play -- Quick Spin offers your choice of a single song, while Marathon is a multi-song challenge that gets increasingly harder as you progress. Both are a ton of fun.

Alas, Phase is only compatible with 3d generation iPod nanos, iPod Classics, and 5th generation iPods (i.e. iPod video). Unfortunately, it's not compatible with any other iPod model or the iPhone. (Boo! Hiss!)

The Bottom Line

To cop a phrase from Bryan Adams, I played it 'till my fingers bled. And I'm still playing it as often as I can. I must own half a dozen iPod games but this is easily the most addictive. I find myself playing songs again and again in a (usually futile) attempt to achieve a better (or perfect) score. Furthermore, my teenage son, who is a total Guitar Hero junkie, likes Phase almost as much as I do and keeps "borrowing" my iPod Classic to work on his chops.