The game starts with Lazarus Jones and Anna Steele, two police officers investigating a two year old mass murder at the local school. While searching the school Lazarus accidentally unlocks a large container in the basement, which unfortunately sets loose an army of ghosts. Soon after Steele is kidnapped by one of the ghosts. The story then follows Lazarus as he both searches for his partner and tries to recapture the ghosts he released, learning how to be a ghosthunter in the process. It's an engaging story, and one that carries the game along well. The characters are all quite interesting, and while we don't get too much in the way of character development it is not a story that necessarily needs it.

The game follows quite a linear path through 5 different environments, starting at the school. The areas themselves are quite large, and getting through some of them can take quite a bit of time. The swamp and mine area is especially good, both in terms of size and the challenges the level has to offer. The path is quite often blocked or impeded in some way, by either natural or supernatural circumstances. Some of the time Lazarus will need to capture the ghosts in the area to move on while other times will require certain puzzles to be solved, such as finding the way across a river, through a door or up onto a ledge. Some quite creative thinking is needed for a lot of the puzzles and finding the solution can be a source of great enjoyment. There are some areas however where the solutions required are quite obtuse and getting through relies more on stumbling across the answer rather than on reasoned thinking. These areas can unfortunately cause a bit of frustration, but on the whole there are usually enough clues to ensure success.

Lazarus is often unable to solve a puzzle himself. To aid him Lazarus can turn to Astral, a friendly ghost residing in him. At certains points in the game Astral can be summoned to help clear the way for Lazarus. Being a ghost Astral is able to fly and go underwater, both of which Lazarus can't. Strangely this particular ghost is unable to fly through walls or floors, something that all other ghosts encountered seem to be able to do. Astral works in the same way that Scree did in Primal, accessing areas that the main character cannot. Throughout the game Astral learns to use certain physical powers of certain ghosts, such as learning the gentle art of smashing things from the poltergeists. As the game progresses and Astral learns more abilities the puzzles become more and more complex, often requiring a combination of these abilities. Knowing when to use Astral is made very clear as a large bright circle of light appears on the ground when she is required. Knowing how to use Astral to figure out a particular situation is the challenge.

This is quite typical of the problems that Lazarus faces, and may be the biggest fault that players will find in Ghosthunter. Given the linear style of game this is, when there is a puzzle progression grinds to a halt until the problem is solved and it is usually blatently obvious that there is a puzzle that needs solving. There are no side quests or multiple paths. There aren't even any multiple solutions to the puzzles, just the one way of solving it. Certainly the puzzles are engaging enough and most can be passed without too much delay but having multiple solutions or a wider range of puzzles could have made the game that much better.

Puzzles though are just a part of the gameplay of Ghosthunter. The main goal of the game is to capture ghosts. Initially armed with just a pistol Lazarus later collects weapons more suited to ghosthunting. These mainly consist of traditional style firearms like sniper rifles and shotguns that have been modified to be able to shoot spectral objects. The range of weapons available is quite good and players will soon find they will be switching between them in different situations and for different types of enemies. Most of the enemies faced will not be able to be killed off by just shooting them. Instead Lazarus will need to capture them.

To do this Lazarus is equipped with a capture grenade. Reminiscent of the ghost traps in the original Ghostbusters game the player can capture the ghosts in the grenade if sufficiently worn down by weapon fire. There is usually great satisfaction in doing this. Not only must the shots be properly aimed, but so must the grenade. This can be thrown in a similar fashion to a boomerang by being thrown to a certain spot, and then either returning on its own after a few seconds, or by being recalled by Lazarus. This second method is most useful against ghosts with shields or or protection in the front. The grenade can be thrown behind the ghost, then recalled to catch the ghost from behind. Varying tactics such as this need to be used against the different types of ghost. This makes ghost hunting quite an enjoyable and rewarding task. The game may not have been as much fun to play had it just involved shooting ghosts.

Movement and control of Lazarus is quite good. Not as clunky as a lot of third-person adventures, Lazarus moves quite well. Firing weapons and grenades is easily done with the right shoulder buttons, while switching between weapons is done with a left shoulder button and the right analogue stick. While this may sound cumbersome it actually works very well, and after playing for a short time gamers will be switching weapons very quickly without interrupting the movement of Lazarus. A first person view is also available, complete with crouch and lean options for sniping around corners. The only possible problem that players may have with the control is the camera system. The default camera is quite shoddy in Ghosthunter and players who rely solely on it will be at a disadvantage. However the moveable camera on the right analogue stick works very well, and while players will need to be constantly adjusting it while moving it soon becomes a natural part of the control system. First time players will unfortunately have to take time to adjust to the camera at the start of the game. What we thought was a major flaw in the game at the outset soon became second nature partway through and seemed as natural as everything else with the controls.

Learning how to control Lazarus well is a must in Ghosthunter as he moves a lot slower than the ghosts he will face, especially with his gun drawn. The ghosts are all pretty speedy with some even having a charge attack that must be anticipated if it is to be dodged. The ghosts themselves come in a wide variety, each with their own attacks and patterns. They are all very well designed, from the small flying ghosts to the large fearsome walking ghosts that resemble teddy bears. The bosses are especially fearsome and creative, with a variety of approaches needed to defeat them. All the ghosts can be fairly challenging to capture, especially when a large number are attacking at once. Most areas reward a slow and steady approach rather than a charging all-guns-blazing approach.

In fact the game works best the slower it plays. The atmosphere that can build up with a slow search through a school or a building, just waiting for the next ghost to appear is excellent, and one of Ghosthunter's strengths. While not as blatantly terrifying as some survival horror games, this game does build up tension and fear quite well if the player lets it. Adding to this is the fine balance of the game's difficulty. Right throughout the game the ghosts seem to be slightly superior to Lazarus and players will need to keep on their toes to survive. It was rare that we didn't feel some relief at capturing the ghosts in a certain area, and this leads to an overall feeling of satisfaction throughout the game.

The game itself looks gorgeous and a great example of what the Playstation 2 can do. The environments are rich and detailed and a lot of work has gone into making this world come alive. Again the swamps and mines of the second area are a standout, with a vibrant recreation of a ghost town. There is a fairly good draw distance, although distant objects are portrayed in a very soft focus. Zoom in with the sniper rifle and those blurry objects seen with the naked eye gain focus. A lot of areas, especially in the first couple of levels, are quite dark though and gamers may find they have trouble gaming in the day. Let the sun go down and the darker areas gain life and detail.

The effects throughout the game are also well done. Water looks quite realistic, with differences to be seen in the different types of water in the swamps, sewers and sea. Smoke is also well rendered which is fortunate since a large part of the gameplay midway through the game relies on it. Through both the water and smoke Lazarus moves well. It's great to see him slow down and struggle a bit more to move forward when in deeper water. Light also plays an important part in the game, with Lazarus relying almost solely on his torch for visibility in a few areas and again this is handled well. With a progressive scan option for those with the capability players would be hard-pressed to find fault with the visuals here.

Ghosthunter does not shy away from disturbing images either. In some areas the amount of blood spattered around is quite impressive. Possibly more creepy than actual dead people, even innocent items like dolls have been twisted and dismembered to increase the fear factor. Skulls and bones adorn some areas, not in a tacky way but in a way that fits with the whole game. In some areas proportions have been distorted and the cameras placed on funny angles. A lot of care has been put into creating a supernatural atmosphere and it works. Again this does not translate into the near terror that traditional survival horror games can achieve. The developers have had experience at creating a macabre world already with the Medieval series, but this is of a much darker shade.

The sound contributes a lot to the game as well. Atmospheric noises abound in this world, from the background birds and frogs in the swamps to the screams and catcalls in the prison. Sounds often also signal an event or danger ahead. In general players will hear what is ahead before they see it. Not knowing what lies ahead but hearing what it could be adds to the sense of foreboding the player feels throughout the game. The soundtrack for Ghosthunter also adds to the atmosphere, ranging from repetitive strains to soft techno that increases tempo when danger is near to the type of slow electronica heard in John Carpenter movies. Most of it is engaging for the whole time that section is being played. There are a few spots however where the music loses its impact after a while. These spots are characterised by a repeated phrase of music, normally associated with building up fear. This is great for the first minute or so, but some of the places this appears are where the player needs to solve some sort of puzzle to continue and may take several minutes to figure out what to do. By this stage the repetitive refrain has shifted to downright annoying and spoils the mood of the game slightly.