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The Ghostbusters' first battle was a tough and heroic one, and now, four years later, Pete Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler and Winston Zeddmor get back into action against a nasty dude called Vigo who wants to enter the real world from his state of limbo to create havoc. Based on the movie plot the game starts with Ray being winched down a 120 meter deep air shaft to collect samples of ectoplasmic goo which threatens New York. Natch the ghosts and other ectoplasmic mattes ain't too chuffed at him swinging around their nice cosy shaft and attack.

Hands appear from the walls, disembodied heads spit goo at him and cable cutting ghosts saw away at his lifeline. But he can zap them with his nuclear charged particle beam weapon, along with other handy gizmos found on the ledges. When his successful return to the surface it's revealed that the slime is sensitive to emotion (aah!) - heaps of good causes it pain. So in section two the 'Busters use positively charged slime to animate the Statue Of Liberty and the attack on the swarm of ghosts begins.

The statue's torch produces balls of good ectoplasm which kill all demons in its path. A band of citizens trail behind to collect the ectoplasm that forms when a ghost is destroyed. But the willing helpers are sometimes picked up by the enraged spooks and must be helped if possible.

The third and final confrontation is with Vigo, who can only reanimate if his spirit enters the body of a baby. The kid chosen is Oscar Barret, son of Dana Barret, the heroine of the first film. The Ghostbusters abseil into the gallery where a portrait of Vigo hangs. One 'Buster must rescue the baby, another must dispose of Janosz Poha, a painter zombified by Vigo, whilst the remaining duo dispose of Vigo's ghost when it appears. Can the Ghostbusters save the day for a second time?.

I enjoyed the original game but am disappointed with the follow up, with a mere three levels a bit steep at the price. While it is good graphically with the four intrepid sprites and assorted nasties neatly done, a bit more gameplay action could have been provided. I hope the film is better.

MARK ... 75%

CRITICISM
'Flashy loaders and great presentation abound in Ghostbusters II from Activision. The whole front end of the game is amazing. While it's loading you get the theme tune, digitized pictures from the film along with text to tell the story that continues on from the original Ghostbusters (what a game that was!). That is all very nice. The game is another matter. The first level is almost impossible to play without tearing all the hair out of your head. You swing from side to side on a rope and lust can't help hitting all the ghosts around you. If you do make it through, the second and third levels promise to be a bit better, it's getting there that's the problem. Ghostbusters II will of course sell because of its name, and the presentation makes it look really slick. There is just a big gap in the playability department.'
NICK ... 73%

Slick, with good graphics and sound, but sadly playability doesn't match presentation.

Presentation 84%
Graphics 83%
Sound 76%
Playability 63%
Addictivity 65%
Overall 74%