Ghostbusters II
Developers	Dynamix(DOS) Foursfield(Amiga, Commodore 64, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum) New Frontier(MSX)
Publishers	Activision MCM Software S.A.(MSX version, Spain only)
Designer	Doug Barnett(DOS)
Programmers	Colin Reed(Amiga, Atari ST) Paul Baker(Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST) Oliver Twins(Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum)
Series	Ghostbusters
Platforms	DOS Commodore 64 Amiga Atari ST Amstrad CPC ZX Spectrum MSX
Release	1989
Genre	Action
Mode	Single-player

Ghostbusters II is a 1989action game based on thefilm of the same name. It was published byActivision for various computer platforms. British studio Foursfield developed a version forCommodore 64,Amiga,Atari ST,Amstrad CPC andZX Spectrum, which also got ported to theMSX by New Frontier. It features three levels based on scenes from the film.Dynamix developed a separate version for the DOS, also based on the film. The non-DOS versions were praised for the graphics and audio, but criticized for long loading times,disk swapping, and the final level. The DOS, Commodore 64 and Amiga versions were the only versions released in North America.

Ghostbusters II follows the plot of the film, in which the spirit ofVigo the Carpathian intends to enter the Earth world and take it over, by inhabiting the body of Oscar Barrett, the baby son ofDana Barrett. The player controls theGhostbusters team as they try to stop Vigo.^[1][2][3]

TheDOS version of the game begins with the Ghostbusters battling the ghosts of the Scoleri brothers in a courtroom, as in the film. Subsequently, the player can choose to do various activities, which include hunting for ghosts to earn money. Three ghost-plagued locations can be played:Central Park, Northrones Department Store, and the Docks. In each location, the player blasts ghosts until they become trapped. The player must avoid slimeballs and fireballs thrown by the ghosts. The player can also collect slime samples from an abandoned underground train tunnel, but must avoidSlimer ghosts in the process. The collected slime is then tested with the use of a CD player. The slime is placed in abeaker and the player selects a song from the CD player; nine songs are available to choose from, and the player must select three calming songs to stabilize the slime. If the player chooses incorrectly, the slime explodes out of the beaker and the player must return to the train station to retrieve more slime. If the player loses a ghostbusting job or the slime challenge, then the player's Ghostbuster is sent to the Parkview mental ward. As one of the other Ghostbusters, the player can choose to rescue the institutionalized character from the ward. The player must earn $55,000 to take control of theStatue of Liberty, which is used to reach an art museum, where the Ghostbusters battle Vigo.^[1]

The other computer versions –Commodore 64,Amiga,Atari ST,Amstrad CPC,ZX Spectrum andMSX – feature three distinct levels based on scenes from the film.^{[4][5][2][3][6]} In the first level,Ray Stantz is lowered into a subway tunnel to collect slime, while using three different weapons to deter various spirits.^[5][2] The player swings back and forth while descending the tunnel to collect the slime.^[2]The player has a courage meter which depletes if ghosts attack the player character, thereby scaring him. A life is lost if the meter is drained completely.^{[7][8][9][10]} The second level is aside-scrollingshoot 'em up in which the Statue of Liberty walks alongBroadway in New York. The player uses the statue's lit torch to shoot fireballs at oncoming ghosts, turning them into slime. The player also controls pedestrians who retrieve the slime in order to keep the torch lit.^{[2][8][9][10]} The third level is viewed from anisometric view, and begins with the Ghostbusters trying to safely slide down a rope to land inside the art museum. The player then alternates between the four Ghostbusters as they rescue Oscar and defeat Vigo.^{[7][2][3][10]}

The DOS version, designed by Doug Barnett^[1] and developed byDynamix, includes digitized voice tracks and images from the film,^[1] while the other versions, developed by Foursfield, include only the images.^[4][5] The Amiga version is divided among three different disks, while the Atari ST version was released as a four-disk game; this requires the player toswap disks at certain points in order to proceed through the game.^[4] TheOliver Twins programmed the Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum versions.^[5][11] The MSX version was a port of the ZX Spectrum version and was only released in Spain as Cazafantasmas II, which was developed by New Frontier and published by MCM Software S.A.^[12] In the United States, Activision planned to release the DOS, Commodore 64, and Amiga versions in October 1989.^[13] In the United Kingdom, the game was released in early December 1989.^[11][14][3] The Amiga and ZX Spectrum versions received a budget re-release in late 1991, published by The Hit Squad.^[15][16]

David Wilson ofComputer Gaming World wrote a mixed review of the DOS version. Wilson praised the graphics, the Statue of Liberty level, and the digitized voice tracks, and called the game "well-designed and easily learned." However, Wilson wrote, "Since the game can be played in less than an hour and players will probably play the game, at least, fifteen times before mastering it, some may feel that this is less than a bargain."^[1]

The other computer versions of the game were generally praised for their graphics,^[a] and their audio, including the use of the"Ghostbusters" song.^[b] The final level was criticized, particularly for being anticlimactic,^{[3][9][10][6]} and for the difficulty in landing the Ghostbuster characters in the museum.^[11][10] Reviewers also criticized the long loading times,^[c] and the need to switch between several disks.^[4][20][10]

Paul Glancey ofComputer and Video Games considered it superior to the film and praised the gameplay, stating that the levels made good use of the film's action sequences.^[2]Amstrad Action also considered it better than the film, and wrote that the "good graphics immediately set this game apart" from typical film-license games, stating, "It captures a cartoonesque quality that manages to convey the comic aspects of the movie excellently."^[5]The Games Machine stated that the game "is quite addictive and succeeds in capturing the atmosphere of the film."^[3]

Commodore Format praised the gameplay,^[23] while Mark Mainwood ofCommodore User praised the game as a good filmtie-in and stated that it would appeal to almost anyone.^[8] Andy Smith ofAmiga Format called the game a "good translation of the film and a worthy successor" to the originalGhostbusters video game (1984).^[7]Sinclair User also considered it a good adaptation of the film.^[11] Brian Nesbitt ofACE wrote that the game "fails to succeed both as a film conversion and as a game in its own right."^[4]Your Sinclair criticized the gameplay as repetitive and stated that the levels feel too distinct from each other with "no real feeling of progression".^[9] Mark Higham ofST Format considered the gameplay tedious and worse than the originalGhostbusters game.^[24]

Writers forZero criticized the gameplay in their review of the Amiga and Atari ST versions,^[10] whileZzap!64 criticized the gameplay and graphics of the C64 version.^[17]Amiga Computing wrote that while the game "is undoubtedly an audio-visual feast, there is little game in it that is fun to play."^[20]Amiga User International stated that none of the levels were particularly addictive, and opined that the game "offers pretty poor value for money" considering that the player's "only motivation is to see the following stage".^[22] Reviewers forAmiga Action criticized the minimal number of levels.^[18]

In 1991,Amiga Power called the game a "disgrace" and wrote, "Almost everything you could possibly do inGhostbusters II called for a disk swap - even getting killed on the very first level - and the playing-time-to-time-spent-buggering-around-with-disks ratio was so completely ridiculous that some people thought they'd been sold a demo version by mistake."^[27] The following year,Amiga Power's Stuart Campbell reviewed the re-release and criticized the gameplay as "lame and uninspired".^[21]Games-X also reviewed the re-release and called the game a "fairly impressive film conversion".^[15]

• Ghostbusters II (DOS) atMobyGames
• Ghostbusters II (other versions) atMobyGames

• 1989 video games
• Ghostbusters video games
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• Amstrad CPC games
• Atari ST games
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• Shoot 'em ups
• Single-player video games
• Video games developed in the United Kingdom
• Video games set in New York City
• Dynamix games
• Video games developed in the United States
• Foursfield games

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