Ghostbusters return - in a video game

Movie comedies rarely lead to funny sequels. Take "Ghostbusters," whose blockbuster success in 1984 led to "Ghostbusters II" five years later. Critics, fans and, reportedly, some of the cast felt let down by the result.

That hasn't stopped admirers of the original - including a new generation of fans who weren't born when it came out - from hoping for another sequel. And after all these years, original Ghostbuster Dan Aykroyd is saying a third feature film could begin shooting this year.

To whet your appetite, there's "Ghostbusters: The Video Game". Its developer, Terminal Reality, has accomplished something Hollywood hasn't been able to do in 20 years by reuniting the four core members of the cast: Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson.

OK, we're talking about computer-animated versions of the main characters, but the actors did return to provide their voices. Aykroyd and Ramis also helped with the script, and Ray Parker Jr.'s infectious theme song is heard throughout. The game is set two years after the events of "Ghostbusters II," so the guys all look they way they would have in 1991. Once again, New York City is under siege by a wave of supernatural spirits - some familiar (the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man), some new (a vicious sea captain who could have been lifted from "Pirates of the Caribbean").

"Ghostbusters" is meant to feel like a movie, and it's very linear. If you're hoping to spend time exploring the Big Apple, you're out of luck. The animation, during both gameplay and storytelling sequences, is largely solid, although there are occasional lip-synching glitches.