Commodore User


Ghostbusters II

Categories: Review: Software
Author: Mark Mainwood
Publisher: Activision
Machine: Amiga 500

 
Published in Commodore User #76

Ghostbusters II

It's been five years since the Ghostbusters saved New York by bubbling a 100 foot marshmallow man and blowing the top three floors off an uptown high rise. Since then we've had countless spin-offs in the shape of cartoons and coin-ops. Now in the sequel we find that the citizens of New York believe that they had been the victims of a colossal hoax. The Ghostbusters now earn their living hiring themselves out for parties, running occult bookshops and appearing on TV shows.

Dana Barrett has returned to live in the city with her baby, Oscar. Then, as she walks through New York, Oscar is snatched by invisible hands and narrowly escapes death on the road. There's something strange in the neighbourhood, who you gonna call?

Ghostbusters II is designed around three sequences from the film. First you must guide a ghostbuster down an airshaft in order to collect a sample of slime. You must swing left and right on a rope to avoid assorted ghosties and collect useful items from the edge of the shaft. A courage meter drops each time you come into contact with the ghosties.

Ghostbusters II

Next comes the race down Broadway. Having enlisted the help of the Statue of Liberty you must shoot ghosts to stop them attacking the Statue or the citizens. If you don't make it to the Museum of Art before the New Year then Oscar gets it.

Finally you take control of each ghostbuster as he abseils down the museum in an attempt to save Oscar and destroy Vigo the Carpathian.

More often than not, film tie-ins make pretty awful computer games. Not so with Ghostbusters II. The graphics are large and detailed, as well as being very varied and nicely animated. Colour is used to good effect and not only enhances the graphics but also gives the game atmosphere.

Ghostbusters II

There are plenty of digitised sound effects in each level and lots of music as well (including the inevitable Ghostbusters theme tune).

Every level is like a different game, all three of which are extremely playable and beautifully presented. Although each level is easy to get into, it takes plenty of practice before you can finish any.

My only gripe is the awful loading system. The whole thing is reloaded every time you start, creating annoyingly long gaps between games.

All in all, a game that will appeal to almost everyone.

Mark Mainwood

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