The PAL Rock Band delay is torture. How the hell are we meant to deal with waiting until at least May, and potentially September, just to play one of the biggest games of 2007? Well, there are two ways. One is to fall to floor, curl into a fetal position and sob mercilessly for 3-7 months. That one's none too practical. The other option is to test the import waters and get your hands on the game nice and early.

As we all know, the PS3 is completely region-free when it comes to games. And for the other consoles, many PAL residents have either imported or modified units that will play US games. Which is lucky, because neither the 360 (sadly), Wii or PS2 versions are region-free.

[NOTE - If you have neither a PS3, a modded or imported console, you may as well head off. This'll be of limited use to you, unless you want to choose option a) and get with the curling and sobbing. Sorry.]

So with the game having been available since November last year, it should have been easy to just import a copy, right? Well, no. That's been of little use to anyone, as no official, standalone peripherals have been available; a problem when you consider that means no drums, and that the PS3's GHIII guitars don't work on Rock Band. Sure, you could still use a mic and sing along, but this is Rock Band, not SingStar.

Now, though? Importing looks a whole lot better, because we've got dates and prices for the game's official peripherals. The Fender Stratocaster replica guitars will be USD$60, and are released on April 1, while the drums are out even sooner; next week, even, on February 12, albeit at a USD$80 price point.
The April release for the guitars sucks, but remember, Nyko have announced a third-party guitar (pictured) for the PS3 that will not only be compatible with Rock Band, but Guitar Hero III as well. Retailing for USD$60, it's got an anticipated release date of March, and will surely be available somewhere for export to Europe and Australia (360 owners, you're a little better off since your GH controllers will work).

So! Taking all that into consideration, here's a timeline - based on the availability of standalone instruments - showing you how soon you could be playing Rock Band, and how much - depending on your instrument choice and the number of peripherals you needed (360 owners with Guitar Hero would need fewer guitars, for example) - it would cost you (microphone cost excluded since you can pick any USB mic to suit your budget) to import.

Converted to PAL currencies, that checks out at: Pricey, I know. Especially if you want the whole shebang, and consider I'm not adding shipping, which is both weight- and retailer-dependant (though, potentially, PAL rrp markups may drive store-bought prices above these). But unless you can find a reputable online retailer willing to ship the US all-in-one bundle (Play-Asia, for example, will not), or are willing to take a punt on eBay, that's the only choice you have. It all boils down to a matter of priorities: would you rather pay more and play it now (or at least soon), or can you wait until much later in the year? You've already waited so long...

Send an email to the author of this post at plunkett@kotaku.com.