Ghostbusters II

About

Ghostbusters II drops you into a New York City crawling with slime and spectral threats five years after the original's victory. You play as one of the now-retired Ghostbusters dragged back into action when a centuries-old evil stirs beneath the city. The game blends sidescrolling combat with management tasks, battle ghosts in 2D levels while dodging ectoplasmic projectiles, then return to the office to handle admin. Answer ghost calls, scavenge toxic sludge from sewers, and run tests to track progress. Each fight ends with a mock newspaper summary grading your performance, adding a wry layer of accountability to the chaos. This DOS relic stands out for its irreverent humor and brisk arcade pacing. While the graphics and sound are firmly rooted in late '80s tech, the mix of action and light strategy feels surprisingly dynamic for its era. Fans of the films might chuckle at the absurdity of billing systems and bureaucratic cameos, though the core loop of fight-scurry-manage keeps things engaging. A niche but sprightly relic of early PC gaming, it captures the Ghostbusters' chaotic energy with goofy gusto.

Storyline

The Ghostbusters are back in this sequel based on the second movie in the franchise. It's been five years since the Ghostbusters roasted the 30-story marshmallow menacing downtown Manhattan. The Ghostbusters sent a huge bill to the city and the city sent back an even bigger bill for damages. Both declared bankruptcy and the now retired Ghostbusters have since moved on. Unknown to the former Ghostbusters, a river of slime has been amassing underneath the city, feeding on all the negative energy of the denizens of New York. Meanwhile a new occupant of the Museum of Art, a 300 year old painting of Vigo the Carpathian and its immortal soul, has arrived and is waiting to get out, eager to use the approaching slime as its medium of escape. The game starts with the Ghostbusters in trial, with escaped ghosts wrecking havoc in the courtroom. A battle ensues and the player must attempt to vaporize the flying ghost in a sidescrolling environment while dodging ectoplasm thrown by the ghost. Victory or defeat in this battle as well as future battles with ghosts, will be summarized by a newspaper editorial at the end of the battle. After the courtroom battle, the main game starts in the office of the Ghostbusters. Here the player choose various activities, such as: attempt to gain money by answering distress calls to hunt down ghosts, collect slime from the sewers, test slime (if successfully collected from the sewers), and check the duty roster.