Nerd Search - Ghostbusters: Eerie Errors & Suspect Ghosts EARLY Book Review

Eaglemoss, via their Hero Collector imprint, is set to release "Nerd Search - Ghostbusters: Eerie Errors & Suspect Ghosts" by Glenn Dakin (with art by John Ross and colors by Alan Craddock) on September 1, 2020. The kind folks at Eaglemoss sent me a copy now, so this will be an EARLY review. Read on the find out more about this Ghostbusters puzzle book...


The 40-page hardcover book, which measures approx. 8.5"x12, comes with a big red sticker on the front, which may or may not come off easily. (I didn't bother trying to remove it, but if you go for it, let us know how it goes.) Eerie Errors & Suspect Ghosts is part of Hero Collector's "Nerd Search" puzzle book series for hardcore fans that distorts classic films and TV shows and fills them with annoying errors to locate. This "Nerd Search" book is with packed bizarre bloopers, serious continuity errors, and incorrect ghosts inserted into illustrations of classic scenes from the original Ghostbusters films.

1. The Library Lurker (Ghostbusters, meeting the true Library Ghost)
2. Slimer Showdown (Ghostbusters, busting the green ghost in the ballroom)
3. Ecto Explosion (Ghostbusters, the containment unit explodes)
4. Marshmallow Meltdown (Ghostbusters, shooting at Stay Puft)
5. Courtroom Chaos (Ghostbusters II, the Scoleris are freed)
6. Transit Terror (Ghostbusters II, a ghost train runs through Winston)
7. Statue Smackdown (Ghostbusters II, Lady Liberty smashes through the museum)
8. Vengeance on Vigo (Ghostbusters II, firing at Vigo's disembodied head)

As you scan these eight spreads for errors, you write your finds on the Scorecard located in the front of the book. This Scorecard does not seem to be removable, so you'll have to flip back and forth. This is certainly better than circling your finds in the spread itself, and thus ruining your book.


The first two pages are instructions, which are followed by a four-page introduction that points out ponderances in the two movies, and a mini-spirit guide on the non-Ghostbusters entities you'll be on the lookout for. The errors come in four categories:

• NERD ALERT - Look out for continuity errors - things that just shouldn't be there. For example, it could be a character who wasn't in the scene, or a gadget that wasn't used at that point in time. In the "Marshmallow Meltdown" scene, for example, Louis should not be fighting alongside the guys.


• MOVIE MIX-UPS - These are items or characters that are simply in the wrong movie. If our featured scene is "Slimer Showdown", from the first movie, then we should not see the Vigo painting from the sequel in the Sedgewick Hotel ballroom. Misplaced items can be anything from the Ecto-1 (before it was customized) to jars of mood slime or a stray spook.


• MYTHS AND MANIFESTATIONS - To really test your ghostbusting credentials we've added five 'out-of-universe' monsters, spooks or demons into every spread. Simply spot if they are from the original Ghostbusters movies or not - and, for extra points, identify them! For example, Dracula may be in Kenner's The Real Ghostbusters toyline, but he never sat down for a glass of something red in the Alhambra ballroom at the Sedgewick Hotel.


• SUPER QUIBBLES - There are just five of these in the entire book; they are errors relating to behind-the-scenes information, such as a character from a deleted scene appearing. Or maybe it is something planned for the movie that never made the final version.


The book works on a scoring system. Each of the eight spreads will give you a maximum of 600 points. That's before the "Have We All Gone Mad?" special offer of 5,551,768 points for finding all five Super Quibbles. That will take you to the maximum total of 5,552,368 points (555-2368 is the Ghostbusters' original phone number). Your point total is categorized at the back of the book:

• 5,552,368: YOU CHEATED! YOU MUST HAVE DONE - Alternatively, you have a brain the size of Egon's. Have you thought of collecting spores, molds and fungus?
• 601-5,552,365: YOU ARE AN HONORARY GHOSTBUSTER - You know more about the adventures of these guys than they do themselves. Certainly more than Venkman, anyway.
• 451-600: IMPRESSIVE - You have a healthy interest in the Ghostbusters that does not stray into dangerous obsession. But you should have got more! Still, it's a great excuse to watch the movies again!
• 301-450: EXCELLENT - You have the potential to grow into a useful member of the ectoplasm-blasting community. Ray would be proud of you. Egon, not so much.
• 151-300: A GREAT SCORE - You know a lot about the Ghostbusters, but you probably have a well-balanced life with other, possibly healthier interests. Winston would salute you!
• 0-150: GUESS YOU PICKED UP THIS BOOK BY MISTAKE? - But you still tried to get a big score, didn't you? Seems you're hopelessly competitive and just like doing puzzles. Why not try your luck with the other Nerd Searches in this series, as well?

Pages 24 to 39 contain the answer sheets for all eight spreads. They are easy to read and give you the text answers opposite a black and white copy of the spread with a grid system placed over it to easily point out where things are hiding. There is one error I found here. For the "Vengeance on Vigo" spread, Movie Mix-Up #8 is in grid E1, not E6 as stated. That said, the answer text gives some trivia, be it for the movie or the mythological entities. Eaglemoss, the publisher, is in the U.K., so expect a few U.K. idioms like "pram" instead of "baby carriage". That said, there isn't much text, so this isn't much of an issue and shouldn't leave anyone confused.


This was the first Ghostbusters puzzle book I've done since the ones released for Ghostbusters II 31 years ago. I liked it, and wish it were longer, as eight spreads wasn't enough for me. You can pre-order "Nerd Search - Ghostbusters: Eerie Errors & Suspect Ghosts" at Amazon, where it is priced at less than the $14.95 MSRP ($19.95 in Canada). If you need more convincing, be sure to check out the page gallery on the Spook Central Facebook page.

This item was provided by Eaglemoss for review on this site.