Drum Kit

Drum Kit is a call and response rhythm game on a warm little club stage. A cat drummer and her band, a bear on bass, an owl on keys and a bunny on guitar, play a one-bar beat, and the pads at the bottom of the screen light up in time with every hit. Then it is your turn: the band keeps the groove going while you play the same beat back on kick, snare, hi-hat and tom. A hit on time scores and builds your combo, a late or missed one only costs the combo, and the song always plays on to the end.

Twenty-four quick grooves cover rock, hip hop, funk and latin, each one under a minute. Patterns start with two hits and grow into full bars with off-beats, syncopation and short rolls, and a crash and a cowbell join the kit along the way. Every groove has a par score, keeps your best score on this device and hands out up to three stars. Drum Line is the endless mode: the style changes every few phrases, the tempo keeps climbing and the crowd's energy decides how long the set lasts, with your high score saved for next time. Jam is the free mode, with a click track, a one-bar loop recorder and a groove meter that shows how tight your timing is, for when you just want to relax and play some music.

The drums and the band are synthesised in your browser as you play. Every note also has a visual cue: icons scroll along the groove strip toward the beat line and a ring closes on each pad right on the beat, so the game is fully playable with the sound off. A short tap-along calibration screen measures the delay of your speakers or headphones and remembers it. Play with D, F, J and K or the number keys on a keyboard, or tap the pads on a phone or tablet. P pauses and M mutes.