Nostalgia places a heavy burden on the shoulders of developer Terminal Reality, but thankfully it’s been able to live up to the great expectations of fans. Ghostbusters is a highly enjoyable third person shooter with a difference, in that you don a proton pack rather than equip with a shotgun.

Written by Ackroyd and Ramis and with voiceovers from the original cast, this is in essence the third movie in the series. You’re introduced as the new recruit, a test subject for some experimental equipment. A silent cast member, you can sit back and enjoy the comedic banter that ensues without the uncomfortable intrusion of a new character in the mix.

A movie feel however, means a highly linear game. Making up for this is immersion into a story that sees you squaring up to spirits old and new – including the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and Librarian.

There’s no HUD to block your view – your health and weapon’s status are viewed on the side of your proton pack, and gameplay mostly consists of busting ghosts in a three-tier attack system – “Zap ‘em, Cap’ ‘em and Trap ‘em”.

Three difficulty settings offer challenges to all levels of gamer, with ghosts getting tougher and you less resilient. Casual gamers may find controls difficult to master; you’ll regularly be flitting between trigger buttons almost simultaneously in a fight. Death is rare however as revival by teammates keeps the game flowing. Only a full team wipe leads to failed missions.

Equipment upgrades and environment variety sustains interest as the game progresses. A secondary function of the PKE Meter and Para-goggles enables you find collectible artefacts, plus over time you’re given new abilities to utilise. These include the Slime Tether that draws objects together and the Stasis Stream that slows down overexcited ghouls.

Aside from the career mode, you’ve also got multiplayer options that use the same gameplay mechanics. Earn money by trapping ghosts to rise through the ranks, and choose between six ‘job’ types. These vary from protecting equipment and survival modes to simply seeing who can catch the most ghosts.

Ghostbusters isn’t without its faults. Occasionally the animation and voice-overs go out of sync, the main game is quite short, there’s some tough difficulty spikes and you’ll crave a sandbox environment to explore. However, using proton streams to cause wilful destruction at the expense of the city and drag flailing ghosts into traps is undeniably fun. Wrapped up in an original, enjoyable story, simply put, “‘Bustin’ makes me feel good!”