Get ready to crank up the speakers once again, as Activision's (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero II prepares for its highly anticipated world tour onto next-gen videogame consoles by announcing it has gone green, and is now ready for production on the Microsoft Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

Featuring a fresh and expanded set list of over 70 finger-melting fret burners, including 10 exclusive tracks for the Xbox 360, Guitar Hero II turns it up with a variety of deafening rock venues, HD remodeled characters, unlockable guitars, and different gameplay modes. Also, for the first time in the Guitar Hero franchise, competitive rockthusiasts will be able to go online to compare their scores and view how they rank through an intuitive online leaderboard, as well as download exciting content on Xbox Live Marketplace such as gamer themes, picture packs, and most importantly, a consistent stream of new tracks.

"With all the new content and features we're adding for our initial launch onto next-gen systems, Guitar Hero II on the Xbox 360 is definitely going to rock harder than ever," said Dusty Welch, head of publishing at RedOctane. "Our online initiative is going to provide an incredible opportunity for our fans to extend the gameplay experience, and we have ambitious ideas to continue to fully support these efforts."

Guitar Hero II, published by RedOctane, is rated T for Teen by the ESRB and is scheduled to rock on the Xbox 360 on April 3rd. Pre-orders are now available, with a free Guitar Hero gig bag, through RedOctane's online store: www.redoctane.com/store.html.