******************************************************************************* Ghostbusters for Apple II FAQ/Walkthrough by BHodges Version 1.0 Created 01/18/10 This document Copyright 2010 by Brian Hodges. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. ******************************************************************************* Table of Contents I. Introduction II. Getting Started III. Shop A. Cars B. Equipment 1. Overview 2. PK Energy Detector 3. Image Intensifier 4. Marshmallow Sensor 5. Ghost Bait 6. Traps 7. Ghost Vacuum 8. Portable Laser Confinement System C. Recommendations IV. Map Screen V. Driving VI. Ghost Busting VII. Zuul VIII. Accounts IX. Game Review X. Special Thanks XI. Version History XII. Contact Information ******************************************************************************* I. Introduction This is a FAQ for the Apple II game Ghostbusters. It contains information on how to play the game, winning strategies, and a mini-review. ******************************************************************************* II. Getting Started Press Spacebar on the Title Screen to proceed to the Franchise Screen. The first thing you do is enter your name and press Return. Then you will be asked if you already have an account, input YES or Y if you do, you'll then have to input your account number. If you don't have one, type NO or N. After you are done setting up your franchise, it's on to the shop. ******************************************************************************* III. Shop ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A. Cars ________________________________________________________ | # | Car | Price | Top Speed | Capacity | |---|------------------|---------|-----------|-----------| | 1 | Compact | $2,000 | 75 MPH | 5 Items | |---|------------------|---------|-----------|-----------| | 2 | 1963 Hearse | $4,800 | 90 MPH | 9 Items | |---|------------------|---------|-----------|-----------| | 3 | Station Wagon | $6,000 | 110 MPH | 11 Items | |---|------------------|---------|-----------|-----------| | 4 | High-Performance | $15,000 | 160 MPH | 7 Items | -------------------------------------------------------- To buy a car, type in the number and press Return. To view the car stats, type a Space and press Return. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- B. Equipment ............................................................................... 1. Overview While you are really only required to buy a car and a trap, having the correct equipment can make all the difference between success and failure. Press the 1, 2, or 3 keys to cycle through the different types of equipment available. To buy an item, press up/down on the joystick to move the forklift to the item. Press the button to put it on the forklift, press right to move it to your car, and press the button again to purchase it. Be careful, once you drop an item on your car, it's bought and cannot be returned! The number of items you can carry depends on your car (and wallet!). When you are done purchasing equipment, press E to go to the Map Screen. Make absolutely sure you are ready before you leave, once you do, you CANNOT re-enter until your next game! ............................................................................... 2. PK Energy Detector Cost: $400 The PK Energy Detector is a bit of a misnomer, it does NOT keeps track of the PK level. What it does is warn you of a future Slimer haunting by turning a building pink as you drive by. ............................................................................... 3. Image Intensifier Cost: $800 The Image Intensifier will prevent Slimers from being camouflaged by the buildings. ............................................................................... 4. Marshmallow Sensor Cost: $800 The Marshmallow Sensor will warn you of an impending attack by the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. ............................................................................... 5. Ghost Bait Cost: $400 Ghost Bait is actually one of the most critical pieces of equipment in the game! It is used to keep the Roamers from combining to form Stay Puft. Use it has soon as you see the Marshmallow Alert, if you are successful you get paid $2,000. If you don't stop Stay Puft, you are actually fined $4,000! Ghost Bait is used by pressing 'B' and you only get five uses before you run out. ............................................................................... 6. Traps Cost: $600 Traps are used to capture Slimers. Each trap can hold only one Slimer and once all your traps are full, you must empty them at Ghostbuster HQ before you can catch any more ghosts. ............................................................................... 7. Ghost Vacuum Cost: $500 The Ghost Vacuum is used to capture Roamers during driving sequences. To capture a Roamer, press the button while it is touching your car. Captured Roamers do NOT earn you cash nor do they take up space in your traps. ............................................................................... 8. Portable Laser Confinement System Cost: $8,000 The Portable Laser Confinement System allows you to empty your traps without returning to Ghostbuster HQ. It can hold a total of ten Slimers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- C. Recommendations I recommend that first time players buy the 1963 Hearse, Image Intensifier, Marshmallow Sensor, Ghost Bait, Ghost Vacuum, and 4 Traps. In subsequent playthroughs, if you have at least $12,000 dollars, I recommend upgrading to the Station Wagon. ******************************************************************************* IV. Map Screen The Ghostbuster logo represents your current location. You use the joystick to plot your route. To go to a particular building, you move your icon next to it then press the button while holding the joystick towards the building. Buildings currently being haunted by Slimers will flash red. If you have the PK Energy Detector, buildings that will soon be haunted will turn pink and if you have the Marshmallow Sensor, a building will turn white if it is about to be attacked by Stay Puft. The ghosts you see are called Roamers. They will make their way towards the temple of Zuul in the center of the map. Every time a Roamer reaches Zuul, the PK Level will increase by 100. If you touch a Roamer with your icon, it will freeze, frozen Roamers will appear during the next driving sequence and can be captured with the Ghost Vacuum. Ghostbuster HQ is located in the lower left of the map. You will have to go here whenever you have no empty traps, your packs run out of power, or if two or more of your Ghostbusters become incapacitated. At the bottom of the screen you will see the City's PK Level and your current cash. The PK Level will constantly increase, once it reaches 9999, the game automatically enters the final phase. Pressing Spacebar will display your current status: number of empty traps, backpack energy, and men remaining. Once the PK Level breaks 5000, you'll need to be on guard for Stay Puft attacks. The Roamers will occasionally try to merge together to form Stay Puft. To prevent the attack, you need to press the 'B' key to drop some Ghost Bait. Thwarting a Stay Puft attack nets you $2,000 while failing to stop him will result in a $4,000 fine! You'll notice a key and a lock wandering around the map. These represent the Key Master and Gate Keeper. You can't interact with them in any way, so just ignore them. ******************************************************************************* V. Driving Driving is definitely the least interesting part of the game, there are no other cars or obstacles to worry about, you don't even have to bother with gas! You steer your car using the joystick, there is no accelerator/brake, the amount of time it takes to arrive at your destination depends on the type of car you're driving and the distance you plotted on the Map Screen. Any Roamers that you froze on the Map Screen will appear. To capture a Roamer, maneuver your car so it is touching the ghost and press the button to suck it up with the Ghost Vacuum. ******************************************************************************* VI. Ghost Busting When you arrive at a haunting, you'll see the Slimer hovering around the top of the screen. If you don't have the Image Intensifier, he may blend into the building in the background and be difficult to see, particularly if the building is white. The first order of business is to set the trap. Move your Ghostbuster to the middle of the screen and press the button to place the trap. Next you need to get your man in position. Move him to the far left of the screen and then tap right to turn him around, then press the button to lock him in position. Then move your second Ghostbuster to the right of the screen, have him face left, and press the button. To catch the Slimer, wait until he is between your Ghostbusters, then press the button to turn on your Proton Pack. Press left/right on the joystick to move your men closer together and herd the Slimer over the trap. DON'T CROSS THE BEAMS! If you do, your packs will overload and you'll have to go back to Ghostbuster HQ to reequip. Once the Slimer is over the trap, press the button to spring it and hopefully capture the ghost. Capturing the Slimer will earn you a variable amount of cash depending on how quickly you responded to the call. If you miss, the Slimer will slime one of your men and head off, adding 300 points to the PK Level. ******************************************************************************* VII. Zuul Once the PK Level reaches 9999, one of two events will occur. If you did not manage to earn more money than you started out with, you'll default on your loan and the bank will foreclose on your franchise, ending your game. If you did earn enough money, you'll automatically head to Zuul. The goal here is to sneak two of your three Ghostbusters past the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. The method that works best for me is to stand on the edge of the sidewalk, then make a run for it as soon as Stay Puft LANDS after a SMALL hop. If you succeed, you get a short cutscene showing your team closing the portal. You'll be rewarded with a $5,000 bonus. Whether you succeeded or not, because you earned more money than you started with, you'll be given an account number that you can use the next time you play. ******************************************************************************* VIII. Accounts ________________________________ | Name | Number | Balance | |-------|------------|-----------| | BRIAN | 30402400 | $11,800 | |-------|------------|-----------| | BRIAN | 30712700 | $15,800 | |-------|------------|-----------| | BRIAN | 06055700 | $24,600 | |-------|------------|-----------| | GOO | 11111111 | $244,900 | -------------------------------- ******************************************************************************* IX. Game Review Ghostbusters for the NES is the stereotypical movie-based game, a thinly veiled piece of shovelware that was hobbled together in order to make a quick buck. What most gamers don't know is that the NES version was actually a port of the Ghostbusters game released years earlier on most home computer platforms. You have two objectives in this game: to stop Gozer and to earn enough money catching ghosts to pay back your bank loan. The ghost catching mechanics are a little different than in the NES version. Instead of capturing the ghosts, your beam "repels" them. The object here is to use your beams to herd the Slimer so it is over the trap, then spring it at the right moment to capture him. Unfortunately you have no control over the angle of your beam, more often than not the Slimer will escape from between your two Ghostbusters and you have to try to get a lucky shot off with the trap. The driving sequences are nowhere near as frustrating as in the NES version. There are no other cars or obstacles to collide with, you don't even have to worry about fuel! The only thing you have to do is catch the occasional Roamer with your Ghost Vacuum. The Zuul stage is COMPLETELY different from the NES version, There are no tedious stairs or battle with Gozer, all you have to do is sneak two of your three Ghostbusters past the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man to win! Ghostbusters was one of the first movie-based video games to feature gameplay similar to the action in the movie and more importantly to actually be enjoyable. If you ever come across a copy, I strongly recommend you check it out! Pros + Much better than the NES version! Cons - More control over your proton streams when capturing Slimers would have been nice. - Driving sequences are kind of boring, especially when you have a slow car. ******************************************************************************* X. Special Thanks Special Thanks go to Cobra1 for his FAQ of the Commodore 64 version of the game! ******************************************************************************* XI. Version History 1.0 01/18/10 Completed FAQ. ******************************************************************************* XI. Contact Information You can contact me at Bhodges080@aol.com I would appreciate hearing what you thought of this guide and any thoughts you have for improving it. Be sure to let me know if I have missed anything. ******************************************************************************* End