How to play Ghostbusters II online
- Move and aim: arrow keys
- Use the selected weapon: Space bar
- Switch weapons: F11 (the console’s Select switch)
- Start a new game: F12 (the console’s Reset switch)
- Save and load your progress: Ctrl + 0–9 saves to a slot, Alt + 0–9 loads it
Gameplay
Five years after beating Gozer, the Ghostbusters find a river of “mood slime” under Manhattan that feeds on the city’s bad temper. The game has two sections.
The Van Horne shaft. A Ghostbuster is lowered on a cable down an old air shaft, swinging from side to side. On the way down you collect the three parts of a slime scooper, plus supplies. Ghosts attack you, and ghostly hands try to saw through your cable. Two gauges need watching: Cable Condition shows how frayed the cable is, and the Courage indicator drops when enemies touch you. Bottles of elixir found in the shaft restore your courage. For defence you can switch between the proton beam, PKR bombs and PKR shields.
Broadway. The Statue of Liberty walks down the street and blasts ghosts with fireballs from her torch. The ghosts melt into globs of slime, and the Ghostbusters on the street mop them up to refill the slime beaker. The manual stresses that the slime supply must never run out, so keeping the beaker full is the heart of this section.
Tips
- Protect the cable first. The hands sawing at it are the biggest threat in the shaft, so deal with them before they reach your line.
- Grab every elixir bottle. Courage is your health, and the shaft is the only place to refill it.
- Know your weapon before you need it. Weapons change with the console’s Select switch, not the joystick, so pick the right one before a crowd of ghosts arrives.
- Use save states. Saving at the start of each section lets you practise it without replaying the whole game.
The story behind Ghostbusters II
Activision published the first Ghostbusters game in 1984, designed by David Crane, and it made Ghostbusters II for several home computers as well. The 2600 version was finished at a time when Activision believed the US market for 2600 games was dying, so it was released only in Europe, where the console was still selling. It is much simpler than the computer versions, which include more scenes from the film, such as the final battle with the villain. Because it was sold only in Europe, the cartridge is scarce today.
