I know the feeling in a whole new way now: These guys were good. That's hardly a news flash. But one consequence of attempting to replicate their words, melodies, harmonies and rhythms in Rock Band is a more visceral sense of just how inventive their music was -- and remains, even 40-plus years down the long and winding road. The genius of the new game, however, is that despite the cold realization that most of us would deserve to get booted just like Best, you still wind up feeling like a member of a truly special circle. The review copy that recently arrived -- it's due out Wednesday -- was the limited edition 'premium bundle' (list price: $249.99) including the software disc (also available on its own for $59.99), the guitar and drum controllers modeled after Paul McCartney's Hofner bass and Ringo Starr's Ludwig drum kit, one microphone and a mike stand. Harmonix, the MTV Networks subsidiary that developed the game, also offers additional controllers modeled after George Harrison's Gretsch Duo Jet guitar and John Lennon's Rickenbacker (also sold separately for $99.99 each). The software will work with other controllers for 'Guitar Hero' or previous editions of 'Rock Band.' You just won't feel completely fab using them. The setup was fairly straightforward, although anyone using a game system that isn't connected to the Internet might face a hiccup in getting started: My Sony PlayStation 3 had to be updated with a newer version of its own software before I could load the game. Fortunately, it took only a few moments to upgrade. 'The Beatles: Rock Band' software constitutes a quantum leap forward for the music video game, both in its more humanized graphic representations of the main characters and in the seamless merging of visuals and gamesmanship with the creative spirit at the core of the group's music. The different environments in each portion of the game include period-representative instruments, clothes, haircuts and architecture: Liverpool's bunker-like Cavern Club; the dazzling stage set used on 'The Ed Sullivan Show'; the wide-open spaces of Shea Stadium; the cluttered, industrial look of the Apple Corps rooftop in London where the Beatles performed their final public concert. (Begin optional trim) As an amateur musician who enjoys interacting periodically with other players in a group setting, I've had a gripe about 'Rock Band' since I first tried it. Even though you may be participating simultaneously with other players, the game doesn't allow for truly engaging with the other players. While playing, you're so focused on the graphics that you don't want to take your eyes off the TV monitor or you'll blow your part. 'The Beatles: Rock Band' doesn't eliminate that; the trade-off is in the way the points and rewards have been structured to foment a group experience. There is, for instance, a 'Don't Let Me Down' trophy -- one of 52 that can be won -- for rescuing another player who fails out of the gate. (And there's a no-fail option that avoids the issue entirely.) (End optional trim) In other games, players score points that translate into money they can use to buy new equipment, clothes, private jets and other rock-star essentials. It's reassuring that in 'The Beatles: Rock Band,' money can't buy you love, or anything else. You score points that translate into various rewards and trophies, most of which illuminate some aspect of the Beatles' music, career, personal lives, or the creative process. At the basic level, anyone who plays a song competently enough to earn three (of a possible five) stars will unlock a vintage photo, with a snippet of information about that song or that period in the band members' lives. Scoring five points usually unlocks two photos, and when an entire sequence of songs, or 'challenge,' is completed successfully, the play moves chronologically to the next phase in the group's career. Other available awards include video clips and bonus recordings. One of the things I like about 'Rock Band' in general is that the drum controller is actually fairly similar to practice pads that some drummers use. In a section of the game where a drummer can practice different beats, a player can develop skills that would translate to playing real music. The Beatles version kicks that up a couple of notches with a bank of some 80 'Beatle Beats' as played by Ringo in various songs. They can be practiced at reduced speeds up to full tempo until the student masters them. Many are quite intricate, and a player could learn something about music in this mode. Ditto the vocal training tutorial. Because the Beatles introduce harmonizing into the world of 'Rock Band,' this version takes a leap forward with a basic harmony tutorial. Like many aspects of the game play itself, the feedback is relentlessly positive. There's no getting booed off the stage, like you can in 'Rock Band 2,' and no cutting remarks in the tutorial if your harmonies are less than spot-on. Harmony, in the end, really is what 'The Beatles: Rock Band' comes down to. It's an adventure in collaboration, not competition; a celebration of innovation, not acquisition. When you look at it that way, it's no wonder that when the game's developers showed it to McCartney, Starr, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, their response was 'Yeah, yeah, yeah.' 