Konami did up their E3 Karaoke Revolution 2 demonstration in style, offering a private karaoke booth in which aspiring bar crooners could impress a small audience with their vocal stylings. Of course, the sound-proof box approach was practically a necessity, being as the display was right next door to the DDR Ultramix booth. Even with the door closed, you could feel the dance fever bass throbbing somewhere inside your guts. But that's OK, because it just made the atmosphere for this karaoke sequel a little more authentically bar-like.

Granted, it's a bit hard to call KR2 a true sequel -- as is the nature of music game follow-ups, it's more like an expansion disc with a variety of new songs to try out. And this is a perfectly eclectic collection at that, ranging from Britney Spears to Garth Brooks to The Police. And for the freaks in the audience, they've even included Steve Miller's classic pothead paean "The Joker." (Sadly, the game doesn't reward you for singing it Homer Simpson style.)

As for the game itself, it's almost exactly the same as the first Karaoke Revolution: you take the role of a karaoke superstar and perform for a virtual audience in a variety of venues. Your performance dictates the audience's enthusiasm -- croon with honeyed tones and the crowds thicken and cheer. Fumble your way through "Papa Don't Preach" and the listeners will boo and walk away, ending your performance mid-tune if you're bad enough.

Scoring is based entirely on pitch rather than on lyrics or cadence -- in fact, how accurately you sing is less important than how closely you can follow the little pitch meter at the bottom of the screen. Konami is kind enough not to judge players on the actual quality of their voices, though, so everyone has a chance of success. Unless they're just completely tone-deaf.

The appeal of KR2 rest almost entirely on its selection of tunes; if you like what's on tap for this particular musical lineup, you'll enjoy the game. If the new set grates your ears, though, you'll probably want to steer clear. Fortunately, there seems to be a little something for everyone, except maybe hardcore Einstuerzende Neubaten fanatics. The music action has a certain universal appeal. It's just like singing in the shower, except drier and less naked. And if you sing really well, you glow.

KR2 does include a few new environs in which to sing, and categorizes its tunes according to locale. The country bar is where you'll sing "Friends in Low Places," while the Arena is home to your favorite guitar hero anthems. There's also a medley mode, which allows you to string together five of your favorites in an invariably godawful musical concoction with which to wow innocent bystanders.

Incidentally, I scored an impressive 48,836 on "Every Breath You Take" and even managed to hold out that sustained high note toward the middle perfectly. I'm a closet performer, too, and it's good to see that all those years of air guitar and shower serenades have finally paid off. KR2 should be a must-have for all the other dedicated karaoke nuts out there who have already mastered the nuances of the original. Watch for it in a few months.

Copyright © 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in 1UP.