Takt uses a complex Tempo Navigator to conduct her music.  At first, you'll probably get the impression that this is an easy game because the Tempo Navigator appears to be very basic.  As we all know, looks can be very deceiving.  The Tempo Navigator consists of four cue points and one cue ball.  Each cue point is outlined with one of three colors, all of which greatly affect the way you perform.  Blue cue points require light pressure, green requires medium pressure and red requires heavy pressure.  Mad Maestro is the first music game to incorporate this awesome technology.  The pressure must be applied to one of the four baton buttons: X, circle, square or triangle.  Light pressure gives you a quiet sound, while pressure gives you a loud sound.  Sony has opened up a million possibilities with this game.  The pressure meter indicates how hard you hit each note.

As the levels progress, various icons appear on the cue points.  An arrow pointing left requires you to press one of the baton buttons (such as X) and the left directional button simultaneously.  One mistake and you'll get a bad rating.  There are four possible ratings to receive: Bravo!!, Good!, Bad! and Baaad!!  Your rating is determined by how accurately you hit each cue point.  A decent hit gives you a single red circle, indicating a decent performance.  If you can do this four times in a row starting with the top cue point, you'll get a Good! rating.  When you hit a cue point perfectly, two red circles appear.  Four perfect hits in a row will earn you one Bravo!! rating.  But if you should ever miss one, you will automatically receive a Bad! rating.

Each rating, good or bad, affects your Tension Meter.  When the Tension Meter is full, you enter Angel Mode.  If you perform well enough to stay in Angel Mode for the rest of the song, you'll clear the stage and will be able to move onto the next level.  If you perform badly though, the meter may suddenly drop to Devil Mode and you will probably lose.  Throughout each level, the Tempo Navigator will shrink and expand depending on the style of the music.  The closer together the cue points are, the faster the music will be.  The farther apart the cue points are, the slower it will be.  You can also press the buttons faster or slower to speed up or slow down the music manually.  However, the game expects you to play in tune with the music, so your Tension Meter will drop very quickly if you don't play properly.

Sony should be praised for always striving to innovate, and Eidos should be praised for bringing Mad Maestro to the States.  Of course, innovation alone is not enough to make a game good.  Mad Maestro was so close to achieving greatness.  In many ways it is great, but the gameplay requires far too much precision.  Most music games are either too hard or too easy.  But the amount of things you have to watch over at one time in Mad Maestro is perhaps too much, too soon.  The first level is really tough, even on the easy game mode.  There's a Child Mode for young children, but it's way too easy.  I love a good challenge, but not when it causes a lot of frustration.

Gameplay: 6
While innovative, Mad Maestro is not the most fun music game.  There is a lot to watch and control, but you'll spend the majority of the game pressing one button.  This leads to repetition.  Repetition leads to boredom.  Boredom leads to the player hitting the eject button on their PlayStation 2.  Mad Maestro would be a lot more entertaining if it required less precision.

Graphics: 5
Mad Maestro is not an ugly game.  It is, however, way below what the PlayStation 2 is capable of (graphically).  The cartoony style worked well for Parappa, but it doesn't work as well here.

Sound: 8
Musically, Mad Maestro is one of the most impressive games out there.  From classic favorites and orchestral masterpieces to new songs that bring the game together, Mad Maestro is music to my ears.

Difficulty: Hard

Concept: 8 
I knew that the pressure-sensitive buttons would bring a lot of innovation to the music genre.  Mad Maestro is just the tip of the iceberg.  There are several different innovative things that could be done to push the genre even further.  Sony knows analog control better than anyone and it shows.

Multiplayer: N/A

Overall: 6.5
At the very least, Sony deserves praise for creating one of the most unique music games in the world.  The pressure-sensitive actions are brilliant.  And the music is great.  But when it comes down to it, your eyes and ears have more fun than your thumbs.  Diehard music fans should give it a rental or wait for it to go on sale.  Everyone else should pass.