A new fan-made mod for the 1989 Amiga release of Ghostbusters II brings the game closer to the film with updated graphics, new sound effects and a hidden trainer menu.
The Amiga version of Ghostbusters II was developed by Foursfield and published by Activision; it originally shipped in 1989 and was notable for its three short levels and challenging difficulty.
Context and platform history
Ghostbusters II was released across a wide range of platforms in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Licensed adaptations included NES versions (one from Activision and another from Hal Laboratory), a Game Boy tie-in based on the Hal Laboratory release, an MS-DOS version from Dynamix, and ports for home computers such as the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC and MSX.
Each version differed in gameplay and fidelity to the film depending on platform and developer.
About the Amiga mod
The modder behind the update is David Annel, a member of the German Ghostbusters group Die Geisterjäger.
Annel’s patch updates all three original Amiga levels, adds a new introduction sequence, and introduces a "Secret Settings" menu that enables cheats and lets players select their starting level.
Cosmetic changes include a street scene matching the movie, character sprite adjustments so Ray appears in his film outfit, and pink slime that mirrors the movie’s appearance.
The mod also replaces or augments in-game sound effects across levels.
Paraphrased developer statement
Annel explained that he revisited the Activision Amiga classic to make it feel closer to the movie, modifying visuals, character artwork and sound design, and adding a hidden settings menu for cheats and level selection.
He confirmed the mod runs on original Amiga 500 hardware (tested on an A500 with Kickstart 1.3) and on common modern setups including Gotek devices and the WinUAE/FS-UAE emulators.
Availability and how to play
Patches for both Amiga disks are available now on itch.io.
Users must supply their own original game files to apply the patch; the distribution provides only the modifications.
This release is primarily aimed at enthusiasts using original Amiga hardware or popular emulation setups.
The update is a notable example of retro preservation and fan-driven enhancement, giving Amiga owners a more movie-faithful Ghostbusters II experience while preserving the original level structure and gameplay.
The Amiga version of Ghostbusters II was developed by Foursfield and published by Activision; it originally shipped in 1989 and was notable for its three short levels and challenging difficulty.
Context and platform history
Ghostbusters II was released across a wide range of platforms in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Licensed adaptations included NES versions (one from Activision and another from Hal Laboratory), a Game Boy tie-in based on the Hal Laboratory release, an MS-DOS version from Dynamix, and ports for home computers such as the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC and MSX.
Each version differed in gameplay and fidelity to the film depending on platform and developer.
About the Amiga mod
The modder behind the update is David Annel, a member of the German Ghostbusters group Die Geisterjäger.
Annel’s patch updates all three original Amiga levels, adds a new introduction sequence, and introduces a "Secret Settings" menu that enables cheats and lets players select their starting level.
Cosmetic changes include a street scene matching the movie, character sprite adjustments so Ray appears in his film outfit, and pink slime that mirrors the movie’s appearance.
The mod also replaces or augments in-game sound effects across levels.
Paraphrased developer statement
Annel explained that he revisited the Activision Amiga classic to make it feel closer to the movie, modifying visuals, character artwork and sound design, and adding a hidden settings menu for cheats and level selection.
He confirmed the mod runs on original Amiga 500 hardware (tested on an A500 with Kickstart 1.3) and on common modern setups including Gotek devices and the WinUAE/FS-UAE emulators.
Availability and how to play
Patches for both Amiga disks are available now on itch.io.
Users must supply their own original game files to apply the patch; the distribution provides only the modifications.
This release is primarily aimed at enthusiasts using original Amiga hardware or popular emulation setups.
The update is a notable example of retro preservation and fan-driven enhancement, giving Amiga owners a more movie-faithful Ghostbusters II experience while preserving the original level structure and gameplay.
