Ghostbusters II

Presentation is high and adds appeal to a game which, despite the mediocre last section, is quite addictive and succeeds in capturing the atmosphere of the film. You must have already seen Ghostbusters II, the movie. The game will do as well - or better.

Little to add to the ST box except that considering the Amiga's capabilities, graphics could've used more colour. Some lively samples improve the soundtrack, in terms of both music and effects.

Despite being in shades of yellow and orange, the digitised film pictures are quite good, as is the theme tune. In-game graphics make good use of Mode two, colours liberally used and blockiness kept down to a minimum. Overall, it compares quite well with the 16-bit versions visually, although scrolling's on the jerky side. Sound effects are harsh and noisy but adequate for the Amstrad.

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.

I really enjoyed reviewing this game since I'm a big Ghostbusters fan - which you can also tell from my avatar in the forum ;-). There are actually two games with the exact same title; you might call this one the secret alternative. Even most Ghostbusters fans have no idea this one ever existed and it's really hard to find, so I think it's a valuable addition to the site!

The game is a good translation of the film and a worthy successor to the original game. As a game in its own right it is not the best ever written, but it is a lot of fun and will keep you playing for some while.

Wie lautet nun das Urteil? Grafik und Animationen sind sicher das Beste an diesem Game, sieht man von den digitalisierten Bildern aus dem Film ab, die am Beginn jedes Levels auftauchen. Die Steuerung ist beim Abstieg zum Fluß hervorragend, läßt im zweiten Level aber deutlich nach. Zum Sound: Anfangs ertönt ein Remix des Ghostbuster-Themas, im Spiel gibt es nur Geräusche. Nachteilig fielen die endlosen Ladezeiten und das Fehlen von Highscores auf. Insgesamt ein recht ordentliches Game, wenn es auch die hohen Erwartungen nicht ganz erfüllen kann.

Sebbene nel 1989 si siano visti titoli tecnicamente migliori di questo su altre piattaforme, su Amstrad non era malaccio, e anche se la grafica era poco nitida, faceva il suo lavoro; stessa cosa per il sonoro: classici effetti “gracchianti” da Amstrad.

It's not really a bad game, but it's about as user friendly as a frisky stoat (ie not very), which would be merely annoying if the end results were worth all the trouble. But, as you might have guessed by now, I can't really say that they are.

Although sound is okay with two sampled tunes and a nice rendition of Auld Lang Syne, the graphics are mostly only adequate. Each of the sections is playable enough in a simple way, but even with the inter-level sequences they don't really gel into one good game. Perhaps a couple more sections would have made a difference, but as it is this is poor value for money.

Technisch macht Ghostbusters II einen sehr guten Eindruck. Viele digitalisierte Bilder und Sounds vom Film sorgen für die richtige Atmosphäre. Ein besonderes Lob für die für ST-Verhältnisse sehr sauber digitalisierte Titelmelodie. Bei den Spielideen sind die Programmierer aber sichtlich von der Inspiration verlassen worden: zweimal mittelmäßiges Ballern plus ein nicht sonderlich komplexes Action-Adventure; damit hat es sich schon. Wer den Film innig liebt, wird sich mit der guten Aufmachung trösten können. Rein spielerisch gesehen ist Ghostbusters II aber eine recht windige Angelegenheit: Wenig Spielwitz wurde mit viel Brimborium gedehnt und auf vier Disketten verteilt.

I've said it about the Ocean movie tie-ins, and it's true of GBII, that rather than amounting to one large, flowing game, the sections may as well be three different games, none of which is particularly addictive. As the player's only motivation is to see the following stage, it offers pretty poor value for money.

I desperately hope the film is better than this! The incredibly bland looking first level offers zero challenge. Level two is playable but lacks any depth or holding power. As for the third, final and very anti-climatic section of the game...well, let's just say it's hideously bad to look at and play. A very bad value for money package.

Ghostbusters II auf dem PC hat nun gar nichts mehr mit dem gleichnamigen Programm für Amiga und ST zu tun. Komplett neue Grafiken und Actionsequenzen können aber nicht über die katastrophale Spielbarkeit hinwegtäuschen.