Atari User


Ghostbusters ()

Categories: Review: Software
Author: Bob Chappell
Publisher: Activision
Machine: Atari 400/800/600XL/800XL/130XE

 
Published in Atari User #18

Ghostbusters

Prepare to be slimed! It's been a long wait for the enormously successful Ghostbusters game to reach the Atari range but at last the Slimers, Roamers and Marshmallow Man are here. And what an excellent job Activision have made of the conversion!

New York has been invaded by ghoulies and ghosties hell-bent on reaching spook central, the Temple of Zuul. As owner of a Ghostbuster franchise you must catch these gooey extomorphs, earn pots of money and make it to the grand showdown on top of the temple.

You'll be greeted with a shout of "Ghostbusters!" followed by a fruity laugh (great speech synthesis).

Ghostbusters

When you finally manage to tear yourself away from the exuberant intro you buy your Ghostbuster vehicle and equipment.

You'll either be presented with a loan of $10,000 or, if you've played before, and reached a certain level, an appropriate cash credit depending on your entered account nmber.

Then it's on to the streets to look for Slimers. The screen shows a map of the city, with the Zuul temple about centre screen.

Ghostbusters

Your position is marked by the famous Ghostbuster logo which has to be moved by the shortest route to a likely building (red flashing indicates Slimer presence) touching (and so freezing) any Roamers on the way.

The screen changes again to show an overhead view of your car cruising down the street. Any Roamers encountered can be sucked up provided you have a vacuum.

When you arrive at the infested site, the screen shows the front view of the building. You manoeuvre your men to trap the floating Slimer using the handheld ionisers.

Ghostbusters

Every Slimer captured pushes up your credit rating. If you miscalculate your positioning, or let the two streams touch, you'll be slimed.

When a Marshmallow alert is sounded, the Roamers join up to form the dreaded Marshmallow Man. Drop a dollop of bait fast before he does much damage.

All the while, two moving creatures - the Gatekeeper and the Keymaster - are headed for the temple. When they meet there, the game ends if you haven't earned sufficient credit. If you have, you can sneak in two Ghostbusters for the grand finale.

The graphics are very good, the music and speech synthesis excellent. Combine these with gameplay that is simple but great fun and you've got a winner.

Ghostbusters looks set to repeat its earlier conquests all over again.

Bob Chappell

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