- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP
- Date added: December 05, 2008
- Total Downloads: 507,061
- Downloads last week: 1,840
- See full specifications
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 79 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET staff on November 24, 2009
Frets on Fire is a basic but fun music game that's similar to Guitar Hero. Although users seeking a full-featured guitar game will likely find this one lacking, we thought it was very good for what it is.
The program's interface is attractive but simple. There are no fancy graphics to be found here; users see the frets with the notes coming at them, and that's about it. A brief tutorial explains how the game is played and gives a few practice exercises. The game supports the use of guitar-style controllers, but we just used our keyboard. The default controls are arranged in such a way that users can hold the keyboard upside down like a guitar, which is fun, but the game can also be played using the keyboard in the standard position (good news for laptop users). We suspect that the thing about Frets on Fire that users are most likely to be disappointed in is the song selection. The game only comes with three songs, and while they're good, it didn't take long before we wanted others. The game allows users to import Guitar Hero songs, which is great if you already have that game, and users with an adventurous, do-it-yourself streak won't mind digging through the various Frets on Fire message boards to find additional songs. The game also includes a song editor for those who want to create their own. But users who just want to sit down and play a variety of songs are going to find Frets on Fire more trouble than they bargained for.
Frets on Fire is free. It installs and uninstalls without issues. We recommend this program to all users.
Publisher's description
From Unreal Voodoo :Frets on Fire is a game of musical skill and fast fingers. The aim of the game is to play guitar with the keyboard as accurately as possible. Frets on Fire is open-source and includes: a unique inverted keyboard gameplay style; support for guitar controllers and generic joysticks; a song editor for making your own tunes; the ability to compete with others on the World Charts; hundreds of songs composed by the community; and support for importing Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II songs.
Introduces new World Charts, an enhanced song-chooser filter, and audio performance and stability fixes. This version is the first release on CNET Download.com.
What's new in this version:
Version 1.3.110 includes concise instructions for building and installing the game; removes runtime SVG support so that all images must be pre-rasterized as PNG graphics now. This also removes the dependency on Amanith, making the game simpler to build and package; Adds textured fretboard strings and bars; and updates the translations.
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 3.4 stars out of 79 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 21 user reviewsSee all 21 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
Version: Frets on Fire 1.3.110
Pros: generaly awsome, funny tutorial
Cons: takes power to start, has trouble loading song some times
Summary: better than buying gautar hero for pc for $40 + controler
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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Frets on Fire 1.3.110
"The crowned jewel of the freeware empire!"
Pros: Free play for people without Guitar Hero or Rock Band. The Pros are too numerous to count.
Cons: The origonal version crashes on ocasion and you can't use all the key combinations.
Summary: If you like this game, make sure you get:
Frets on Fire X which is available from www.geetarfreaks.net
Frets on Fire X (or FoFiX for short) has all the features of the origonal open-sourse Frets on Fire, and also has support for drums, m... read more >> -
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Frets on Fire 1.3.110
"Fun & Expandable - Good for players without Guitar Hero"
Pros: * Fast loading
* Extra user-made songs can be downloaded
* Mods can be downloaded
* Song builder included
* Keys can be re-mapped
* Playstation USB connected Guitar Hero guitars compatible
* Great fun to play with multiple players simultaneously!Cons: * Crashes/hangs on Windows XP
* Long songs - long to load
* Songs are in OGG format
* Laptop keyboards prevent some 3-button combinations (but that is not a fault of the game)
* Online highscores didn't work for me =(Summary: PROS:
* Fast loading
* Extra user-made songs available for download from external sites (http://www.fretsonfire.net/forums/)
* Mods available for download which change the look of the game
* Song builder included
* Keys can ... read more >> -
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Frets on Fire 1.3.110
Pros: Good music
Very fun
Hours of entertainment
A good way to waste time
Funny in game dialogues in the tutorialCons: An extremely limited range of music
Summary: Overall, a wonderful simulation game, that just might be the next Guitar Hero
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Version: Frets on Fire 1.3.110
Pros: Just like the real thing
Cons: Nothing Much
- See all 21 user reviews Write review
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