'Ghostbusters: The Video Game' captures the films' attitude

There has never been a yummier manifestation of terror than the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. And there has never been a motlier band of scientists that has so gripped our pop-culture consciousness than the Ghostbusters.

Expectations are high for "Ghostbusters: The Video Game," based on the hugely popular '80s movies. But who really expected the game to be good?

Thanks to the flicks' original writers, Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd, the game largely captures the fun and the funny of the motion pictures. All four Ghostbusters (Ramis, Aykroyd, Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson) return to lend their voices, and the banter, supernatural science and dry wit carry you around some of the game's rougher edges.

You, however, get to play as the new recruit, dubbed the Experimental Equipment Technician. You're nameless and don't talk, but the Ghostbusters include you in on the jokes all the same. It would've been nice if the game had offered some level of customization to your nameless guy, though.

The first few stages introduce you to the Proton Pack and the PKE Meter, and range from dreadfully dull to frustratingly frantic. It took me a while to get accustomed to the near-constant use of the PKE and switching quickly from it to the Blast Stream.

This introductory level makes you feel right at home, though, while you try to corral Slimer. (Yes, someone gets slimed.) Strange, though, that the level boss here is Stay Puft, whom you follow throughout town for an unsatisfying end of the most iconic of tasty giants.

It's such a thrill to blast ghosts and rassle them into traps, like some supernatural cowboy. You start off with just the Blast Stream -- they warn you not to cross streams, but nothing bad ever comes of it -- and you'll pick up upgrades as you progress, some of the most useful being the Boson Darts ("super de-polarized bursts of extremely volatile boson particles") and the Slime Blower Mark 2 (the name says it all). There also are upgrades you can buy with the cash you earn while on the ghost-busting job.

Wrangling ghosts is chaotic enough to incite the thrill of the chase, yet simple enough to make a roomful of Class 5 Full Roaming Vapors manageable. Just blast 'em, capture 'em, slam 'em around a little bit and trap 'em. Some ghosts are trickier than others; some only need to be vaporized.

You'll get to visit familiar haunts like the Sedgewick hotel and the library, where you'll find out the story behind the "Gray Lady" from the first film. Some locales, like parallel dimensions and a sunken island raised from the Hudson, are more exotic. You'll also have a chance to explore Ghostbusters HQ (hint: Check out the Viggo portrait).

The graphics look good enough, and the rendered cutscenes look great. Some environments lack a lot of detail, but the characters are instantly recognizable and there's plenty of destructible geometry.

Although you can't control your fellow Ghostbusters in battle, you do have to be mindful about their status. These guys often get knocked down, so you'll have to go "revive" them. The incentive is, the more streams on a ghost, the easier it is to capture. Plus, they'll revive you.

There's a smattering of local and online multiplayer options, including two co-op modes, 12 maps, six jobs (survival, protection, etc.) and the ability to play as any of the Ghostbusters.

That said, "Ghostbusters: The Video Game" is riddled with annoyances. You have to equip the Para-goggles and PKE practically all the time -- which tints the environments green -- when you're not blasting ghosts. The running mechanic is clunky. Difficulty spikes are aggravating, and the automatic-save checkpoints seem random. Boss battles are too easy.

But the attitude is just right. The guys might be past their prime to get together for another "Ghostbusters" flick, but this title picks up in 1991 without missing a ghoulish beat. The only question that remains now is, who ya gonna call to co-op with you?

Additional Information:

'Ghostbusters: The Video Game'

Grade: B

Developer: Terminal Reality

Publisher: Atari

Platform: PS3 (also on Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, DS, PC)

Genre: Action

ESRB: Teen

Retail: $59.99