Ghostbusters, MSX

The MSX version of Activision‘s Ghostbusters is the same as all the others… Simple; archaic; and a very early example of a movie-licensed video game.

There’s no digitised speech in this version, although the rendition of Ray Parker Jr.‘s hit single isn’t bad.

This conversion, in my humble opinion, has much better graphics than the Spectrum version (no colour clash!), and also holds its own against the original C64 version. The key thing is that the graphics are clearer, and it’s generally much easier to make out ghosts against the backdrop of buildings when you’re trying to catch them. In fact: catching ghosts with traps is much easier in the MSX version than most of the others. Maybe even too easy…

The aim of the game is the same, though: intercept roamers on their way to Zuul’s temple, and try to keep the city’s PK (Psycho-Kinetic) energy levels down, while at the same time earning as much money as possible by catching ghosts who’re haunting individual buildings.

When the city’s PK energy levels reach a certain point, the Stay Puft monster appears and trashes a building. When the PK energy levels reach 9999 it’s game over, so the general idea is to earn more money than you are given at the start of the game, before that happens.

While it’s no gaming classic in terms of gameplay, Ghostbusters does have a high nostalgia factor, and is still worth a look if you’re interested in video game history.

Ghostbusters on The King of Grabs:
Commodore 64, Apple II, ZX Spectrum, Atari 800, Atari 2600, MSX, Amstrad CPC, PC Booter, NES, Sega Master System.