When the first Guitar Hero came out in 2005, a running joke inside its fanbase was the hypothetical inclusion of infamous power-metal group DragonForce in an upcoming installment of Activision's popular rhythm-game franchise. Though the idea was initially brushed off as preposterous, Activision up and did just that with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, released for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, and Wii last November. It now appears that the British headbangers are the subject of a new Guinness World Record.

　　Heralding the arrival of the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008 this week, its editors held a contest in New York City that pitted the planet's top Guitar Hero players against each other. Winning the event was 16-year-old Chris Chike of Rochester, Minnesota, who captured the record for "Highest Score for a Single Song on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" by thrashing his way to a 97 percent completion rate and 840,647 points in DragonForce's "Through the Fire and Flames" on expert difficulty.

　　The Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition is presided over by Twin Galaxies, subject of 2007's critically acclaimed King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. Gamers who think they have a record on their hands are encouraged to visit Guinness World Record's Web site to learn how to submit their score. Chike's record-setting performance can been seen on YouTube.