It’s a bit blurry after two decades of laughter and ectoplasmic residue, but I must’ve been about 5-years old when I first saw the film Ghostbusters.

I’ll never forget it. My mom had recorded it onto a blank VHS cassette from an ABC television broadcast, complete with all the cheesy commercials and jingles so typical of the 1980s. They’ve been engraved permanently into my memory over years of repeated viewings — have you driven a Ford lately?

I only mention this in the spirit of disclosure, particularly in regard to the objectivity expected of me as a writer. It would be no more difficult for me to levy criticism against my own family than anything to which Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis have put their names. Ghostbusters has been a sacred part of my life since I was a little redhead terrorizing my sister with canisters of slime and a foam proton pack, so I’m anything but unbiased.

But I work in the private sector. They expect results.

Like-minded Ghostbusters aficionados can stop reading right now — if you are a line-quoting, ghost-busting fan of the films and the Nintendo DS is your only gaming platform, drop what you’re doing and buy this game. The issues haunting the portable version of Ghostbusters: The Video Game will seem minute in the presence of the passionate and rich fan service it provides.

If you have other systems, however, you might want to look elsewhere for a dose of psychokinetic energy. A few flaws make this the worst of the bunch.

Even so, Ghostbusters absolutely oozes with love and care. Immediately upon loading the game, players are greeted with music from film composer Elmer Bernstein’s classic original soundtrack. And that’s only the beginning, as the Ecto-1 blares a recognizable siren, the proton streams look virtually identical to their big-screen incarnations and captured ghosts are tracked and cataloged in a thick book inside the firehouse — Tobin’s Spirit Guide.

It’s clear after only minutes that Ghostbusters: The Video Game was made with care by Ghostbusters fans for Ghostbusters fans, even on the DS. The game’s attention to detail and reverence for the source material is fantastic.

But if you peel away the nostalgia, a series of issues begin to diminish the excitement inspired by the return of the boys in beige. All life as you know it won’t stop instantaneously, nor will every molecule in your body explode at the speed of light, but unfortunately, your fun will lessen dramatically.

That’s bound to happen when gameplay poses the biggest problem.

Operating from the firehouse headquarters, the game combines several unique ideas into one cohesive and surprisingly functional product. Players drive the Ecto-1 to busting appointments across a 3D New York City to earn money, reputation points and, ultimately, bust ghosts. Once at the scene of the slime, the Ghostbusters exit their 1959 Cadillac, and the hunt begins.

Unlike the console versions, Ghostbusters: The Video Game is presented with a top-down perspective on the DS. Portraits of the Ghostbusters border the side of the touch screen, and with a single tap, players control any of the four original characters — Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler and Winston Zeddemore — and move him with the d-pad. Tapping and holding down with the stylus fires a classic proton stream in the stylus’ direction.

For the most part, these simple and intuitive controls work well, but there is an exception, and unfortunately, it can make the game very frustrating.

Bustin’ doesn’t make you feel good when the ghost trap doesn’t work.

Once players wrangle a ghost with their positron collider, the game claims the trap can be cast by holding the L button and tapping the touch screen. In my experience, however, this was only occasionally accurate — it often didn’t work even after several attempts, leaving my teammates to hold the ghost while I struggled to throw the trap and more spirits appeared around us.

Another issue hurting the DS version of Ghostbusters is the field of vision afforded by the system’s small screens or, perhaps more appropriately, the lack thereof. Because players have a top-down perspective and the rooms are usually much larger than the screens themselves, spooks often appear offscreen and attack players from outside their field of vision. On too many occasions, I entered a room only to have globs of slime thrown at me by a ghost I just couldn’t see, forcing me to fire wildly and hope to get lucky.

For all the strategy the game encourages, giving players no option but to shoot blindly offscreen is not only a contradiction, but it’s no fun, either. 

Fortunately, the game’s problems end there. Just about everything else it has to offer is enjoyable, and even with its flaws, Ghostbusters is difficult to put down. Even the firehouse provides an engaging hub where you can roll up your slime-covered sleeves and jump into the Ghostbusters world — from researching new equipment with preserved slime and taking customer calls to managing the earnings of a professional paranormal elimination firm, the game truly immerses fans into the Ghostbusters films like never before.

I mentioned strategy earlier, and while it’s not exactly StarCraft, the game does afford a few opportunities for strategic play. Fellow Ghostbusters can be instructed to hold or follow with a tap of their portrait, and often times, it’s imperative to properly place your teammates if you want to defeat an enemy or solve a puzzle. The game also boasts an RPG-like system of experience points for upgrading Ghostbusters with character-specific traits — most are instantly forgettable, but some of them are genuinely helpful and useful.

Without going too deep, these features, along with the varying equipment and weapons, provide a little depth to players looking for some variation.

While it’s certainly no visual stunner, Ghostbusters: The Video Game looks good on the DS hardware. What its environments lack in aesthetic beauty is made up for by plenty of destructible clutter, and while its character models are virtually indistinguishable from one another, they animate fairly well. To its credit, the game boasts a few impressive visual effects, particularly in regard to the proton beams, which look and behave exactly as they should.

Though its rarely the case on DS given the restraints of the format, one of the most pleasant surprises Ghostbusters offers is its fantastic use of audio. Bernstein’s instantly recognizable aptness for humor and drama still comes through after 25 years in a classic soundtrack thankfully carried over to the new game. As soon as you hear it, you know you’re playing Ghostbusters, and the music does a lot to enhance the authenticity of the experience. Not to mention Ray Parker’s timeless and infectious theme song.

It’s simple. If you’re troubled by strange noises in the middle of the night, experience feelings of dread in your basement or attic or have ever seen a spook, specter or ghost ... you should probably find a new house. Until then, celebrate comedic genius by grabbing a proton pack and saving New York.

Remember, your dollars are votes for a third movie. Buy three copies.

Gameplay: 6.5
The controls are simple and intuitive, and if you can get the ghost trap to work properly, the gameplay is a blast. But that’s easier said than done. 

Graphics: 7.0
Like the original film, there’s nothing fancy going on here visually, but that’s really part of the charm. It looks good enough and has a few nice effects.

Sound: 8.5
Elmer Bernstein is one of the greatest movie composers of all-time, and having his fantastic work in a video-game not only illustrates his greatness, but it makes the gaming industry’s original work look pitiful in comparison.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Some of the game’s puzzles are more difficult than they should be thanks to vague directions, but for the most part, it’s not a particularly difficult game.

Concept: 8.0
The Ghostbusters gang is back together in this pseudo-sequel. The story was written with the help of original Ghostbusters, and while it’s certainly not on par with the original film, it works surprisingly well for a video-game plot.

Overall: 7.0
An infectious sense of childlike excitement has always operated at the core of the Ghostbusters franchise, and for the first time ever, it’s been translated successfully to video-games. Line-quoting Ghostbusters aficionados should have no trouble overlooking the game’s occasional gameplay flaws to revel in the fun concepts and remarkable fan service Ghostbusters: The Video Game provides on the DS. Even when a tad flawed, bustin’ feels good.