Playing Ghostbusters: The Video Game reminded me of the time I saw The Who in concert at the Hollywood Bowl a few years ago. The band played its big hits, Pete Townshend did his signature windmill strumming, Roger Daltrey swung the microphone by the cord and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. But it was inescapable to notice that Townshend is balding, Daltrey doesn’t have all the energy he used to, and the drummer and bassist just couldn’t fill the shoes of the dearly departed Keith Moon and John Entwhistle.

And so it is with Ghostbusters: The Video Game. While Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis have all the wit and enthusiasm they brought to the Ghostbusters movies in the 1980s, it’s clear that Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson have lost the spark they once had. Additionally, the absence of Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis are unfortunate and hard not to notice.

Despite the ravages of time, however, Ghostbusters: The Video Game is a thoroughly entertaining romp from beginning to end. All too eager to please, the game is a mish-mash of familiar film and videogame tropes. The Ghostbusters revisit several famous locales from the films, including the Sedgewick Hotel, the New York Public Library and the streets of New York. You’ll also be fighting lots of familiar ghosts, even including the 100-foot Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. And the game itself plays much like Gears of War, with a persistent over-the-shoulder point of view, regenerating health and emphasis on team-based cooperation.

The game puts you in the shoes of the newly hired fifth Ghostbuster, who the other Ghostbusters refuse to address by name. “No names, Ray,” Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) says. “I don’t want to get too attached to this kid.” Soon enough, you’re roped into your first ghostbusting assignment, and the adventure begins.

The actual ghostbusting mechanic is a pleasantly faithful re-creation from the movies. Using your trusty proton pack, you shoot a beam of energy at the offending ghost until you can rope it in and trap it. Despite the crack writing of Akroyd and Ramis, it was this simple mechanic that made me feel the most like I had jumped into one of the movies. Along the way, your proton pack gets upgraded with other beams, and you’ll encounter different enemies that require slightly different strategies, but the basic “shoot, wrangle, trap” strategy never fails and is often the most satisfying.

The best part of the game, though, would have to be the level design. Every locale is rendered in thorough detail, and when the ghosts start to invade the world of the living, the level designers completely let their imaginations run wild. By far the most impressive set piece comes during the Library level, in which you find yourself transported to an alternate dimension. Castle ruins, stained glass windows and an atmosphere full of ominous red clouds made me feel like I was in way over my head and thankful I still had my proton pack at the ready.

In between missions, you get to explore the Ghostbusters’ fire house, and it’s here the big nostalgia trip really begins. Akroyd and Ramis peppered references to the movies throughout the station, and you’ll often discover them in the most hilarious fashion possible. Vigo the Carpathian, the evil painting from Ghostbusters II, has been left neglectfully leaning against a wall. If you dare to actually talk to him, it’s clear he’s still sore over what happened to him. There’s also an answering machine where potential customers plead their cases. “I need you to come get rid of the ghosts that haunt my dumpster,” one message begins. “They look like bums!”

Just about the only thing this game doesn’t let you do is drive the ECTO-1, the guys’ larger-than-life vehicle. That thing just looks so cool, and I was aching to get behind the wheel, but alas, the game just jumps you directly from the firehouse to the beginning of the next mission. As an extra tease, there are even parts in certain levels during which the other Ghostbusters drive the ECTO-1 to important hotspots. Twist the knife a little deeper, game.

Since Akroyd and Ramis were the main creative force behind the project, it makes sense that they also give the best voice performances. They re-create their characters from the movies perfectly. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for everyone involved. Murray, in particular, sounds like he was half asleep in the recording studio. And with Sigourney Weaver gone, the game is all too eager to turn him into a one-dimensional womanizer with hardly any of the wit and charm he had in the films.

Still, Ghostbusters: The Video Game hits way more often than it misses. The gameplay, although a tad unoriginal, is fun and rarely dull. If you go into the game having never seen or heard of the Ghostbusters movies, you’ll still find an above-average action adventure waiting for you. If you happen to love the movies as much as I do, you’ll love this game even more.