Ghostbusters was the best selling computer game of all time. It sold endlessly in disgustingly large amounts to a population gone Ghostbusters gaga. Now, eager to reincarnate this spooky success. Activision has tied itself up (honk) with the spin-off cartoon - The Real Ghostbusters, no less.
    The cartoon follows the plot of the film fairly closely. The only big difference is that the four main Ghostbuster characters have been jazzed up with teenage appeal features, like oily quiffs and dry remarks about parents and puberty. The plain secretary in the story has suffered likewise, becoming instantly voluptuous and socially-aware. Also, that fat green "disgusting little slob" ghost from the film has somehow become an ally to the Ghostbusters, and even pops up in the game...
    The game? Well, it has practically nothing to do with the cartoon. Just the odd ghost and occasional proton beam here and there make the connection. The tie-in sort of acts as a weak veneer to cover up the essential idea of the game - shoot 'em up.
    You play a member (members if in two player mode) of the Ghostbuster team, isolated from your chums, trapped in an eerie landscape populated by the gooiest, ugliest and moistest creatures you've ever seen or would ever want to see. Luckily, you're armed with a gun (plus infinite ammo) and a proton particle accelerator (laser gun to you) which has a limited charge.
    The idea is to swan about each level, gun en garde (that's French), disintegrating demons, splattering spooks, massacring monsters, frying fiends... (That's enough alliteration Ed). Once shot, the creatures obligingly die, and then try to shuffle off this modal coil in the form of ghosts. This is a cue for you to engage your proton accelerator and suck them into your backpack for the extra points.
    At the end of each of the ten levels is the customary huge great gibbering monster. It requires a liberal dose of lead before its modal ticket is punched. Once expired, it leaves behind a key, which unlocks the portal to the next level to be loaded in.
    Bonuses can be found along the way. These are found inside objects like oil-drums, vases and wheel-barrows. They provide you with shields, extra shot power, proton energy and - most annoyingly - the appearance of Slimer, the spud-like spectre, who circles you, killing any creatures it comes into contact with.
    The game uses the same graphic system as Karnov with big, brassy, multi-coloured sprites which move a character block at a time. The system worked in Karnov, but in this game the jerky four-way scrolling and movement seem painfully noticeable. Also, only a handful of the large range of monsters are well defined and animated, the rest are just depressingly mediocre.
    This game had great potential, but is marred by the poor graphics which look, feel and taste bad. There's no real incentive for extensive playing. If the two player option adds anything, the unwieldly controls take it away. And the music is AWFUL.

Arcade version screenshot...

Click here to view all 6 pics

Ratings given by other magazines

9/10      6/10    Crash Review ---

Info supplied by the SPOT*ON database

YS Cross-references
		The Real Ghostbusters/Activision	YS40	PRE
		The Real Ghostbusters (in The YS Complete Guide To Shoot-'em-ups Part II)	YS56	UNR
		The Real Ghostbusters/Hit Squad	YS65	80