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Tired of riffing through Guitar Hero? Read part one of our "Masters Behind the Music" series and get acquainted with five great music titles that you should be playing right now! Rock on!

If you've had your fill of rocking out to Guitar Hero and just can't wait until the Fall for the sequel, we've got five quirky and addictive music games that may just get your toes tapping.

Taking a heavy dose of inspiration from Konami's Beatmania series, Korean DJ Max Portable first found life on the Internet as a web-based music MMO, and later released on the PSP as a stand-alone product. Although not as intuitive as Beatmania (which utilizes its own unique keyboard controller), DJ Max Portable should appeal to fans of that series with its immense library of catchy tunes, multitude of game modes, and sometimes frustrating difficulty. For a PSP game, DJ Max Portable sports some really impressive production value, including full-motion background videos, giving the overall product some serious appeal. The limited Prestige Edition of the game, besides including a calendar, cell phone strap, and other goodies, also include a 2-CD soundtrack, so you can rock out to all your favorite tunes whenever you want. The PSP is primarily region-free, so do yourself a favor and import this game.

Guitars are so last year! Get your groove on with a miniaturized drum set in Konami's popular Japanese music game series Drummania (which coincidentally enough is part of two product game that includes Guitarfreaks). The premise is fairly simple -- set up the drum set and bang along to the rhythm of a ton of Konami tunes. Just like Beatmania and Guitarfreaks, you have the option of customizing a ton of different gameplay options, including speed, faders, and mirrored tracks. The coolest part, however, is the ability to actually play the game with a couple of real-life drum kits, although the cost of doing so is probably less than the actual reward. Regardless, if you're looking for a truly different music game (and one that will more than likely never make it to US shores), import this enjoyable and addictive Japanese PS2 game. Just don't complain to us when you keep you the neighbors.

Ok, so you don't technically play an instrument yourself in Gitaroo-Man, but you do play a virtual guitar, which is close enough. Truly bizarre, KOEI's cult-classic game features a reluctant hero who must save his world by rocking out his enemies using a special electric guitar. The game features an eclectic mix of tunes, including heavy metal, rock, and even jazz, as well as an equally bizarre cast of characters. But, the appeal lies in the game's unique gameplay. Using the analog stick, you need to play along to on-screen notes and riffs. These notes and riffs, however, are displayed as lines that snake their way towards the center of the screen. Pressing the Circle button, you need to trace the outlines of these trails exactly to pull off the notes. It's addictive, weird, and sometimes downright confusing, but still stands as one of the most enjoyable music-based games on the PS2.

Who knew getting some pent-up aggression could be so darn cute and fun? Namco brought their very-Japanese Taiko Drum Master game to the US, where it found a nice home amongst gamers looking for a music game with a decidedly Japanese flavor. The premise is pretty darn simple -- beat a traditional Taiko drum along with on-screen music. The real charm lies in the series' trademark characters and cutesy presentation. The best part of this game, however, lies in its price tag. Now, you can find the game at most retailers for around $20, which includes the drum peripheral. So, drop a quick twenty bucks for it and get in touch with your Japanese side.

The music games that started it all (at least on the PS2) still hold a lot of weight with gamers, particularly those who enjoyed Guitar Hero. Both games feature similar gameplay -- hit notes as they travel down a track-like field. But, you can also utilize a number of special power-ups and throw together combos to really boost your score. Amplitude also featured online multiplayer, as well as mixing your own note sets for the game's fairly extensive music track list. While it may not have quite the visual flair of more recent music-based games, the deep track list should keep your toes tapping for quite some time.

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