I got a copy of Ghostbusters for the Atari 2600 but I’m having difficulty figuring out how to play the game… Of course getting my 2600 up an running was half the battle. I’ll get some screen shots if anyone wants them.
Its impossible.
How so?
Isn’t the Atari game the same as the NES game? If so, you have to go to the shop thing and buy the equipment. Then, if memory serves, when you go on a bust, you can select the equipment you take with you. You have your guys fire streams to trap the ghosts in a small area, and then release the trap. If you did it correctly, the ghosts should get sucked up.
I hate this game. It’s fun for a bit and all, but it’s by far one of the most aggrivating games I’ve ever played. I’ve gotten as far as Dana’s appartment building at the end, but always die before I get to Gozer. It’s not impossible to catch ghosts. Just to beat the game. 
My suggestion? Get ‘Ghostbusters’ for the Sega Genesis, instead. Much more fun.
Chris
Okay, it has been a LONG time since I’ve played this game on the 2600, or even played the 2006 for that matter. I’ll try to remember as best as I can…
After the game is turned on you have to flip the (thinking) select(?) switch on the consol itself (it’s one of the switches there). That will take you to a screen where you can buy your equipment with an allowed amount of money. I think you need to buy more than one trap.
When that is complete you should be back at the map screen. Find the building that is flashing red. Move the marker to the bottom side of the building and either push the joystick up or press the button, can’t remember which.
That will put you in the ECTO-1. If you purched the vacuum cleaner looking thing you can press the button on the joystick to suck up the ghosts as they fly past the car… Another funny little glitch, or I should say corner they cut when making the game, notice when you change lanes you can see the lines in the road through the windows on ECTO-1.
Next, two Ghostbusters should be in front of the building and there is a ghost flying around. Position them on opposite sides of the screen facing each other. Press the button to active the proton beam. Then keep moving the Ghostbusters closer together, so the proton beams form kind of a pyramid, with the ghost trapped inside. Besure not to cross the streams though. If this happens the Ghostbusters will fall down, the ghost will escape and you have to start over. But once the the ghost is inside the beams, press the button to active the trap and suck the ghost in.
Then you will be taken back to the map screen and you have to do it all over again. After completing this several times, you will eventually see Mr. Stay Puft on the map screen. But you won’t have time to move the marker to where he is at. So you’ll just have to get lucky and have him land where you already are… Beyond that I can’t help you, I was never lucky enough to have him land where I was at. So I don’t know how the game ends. If you find out, let me know.
I’m sure I left some things out, like I said it’s been many years ago. But hopefully, I atleast helped you enough that you can figure the rest out. Good luck, let me know how it goes! 
The one for the 2600 was the same as the one for the NES. I got to the top of the apartment a couple of times but i always died when fighting gozer. The one for Sega is waaaaaay much more fun. Sega is the way to go on this one,
I work in a Video Game store so if any of you guys out there want a copy, i can check around and see if i can get one for you guys.
If I still had my genises I would ask… Although I may ask you aobut some other games. I’ll PM you with a list latter when I’m at home.
I had that on the Commodore 64. If I remember right, when Stay Puft reaches you it changes to a different screen where he’s jumping up and down. I assumed that you have to run under him, but never had the timing down right and died every time. Very frustrating…
Thankfully, the NES version doesn’t ever make you run under a jumping Stay Puft. Still, the game is hard. I remember getting to the top of the building without cheating once, by sheer luck. I still ended up getting killed, though.
Personally, I thought the only fun part was actually busting ghosts at the different sites, getting money, and buying better junk. I’d play the game just to do that. The only way the stairs part was ever any fun (rather than being an excercize in extreme madness and frustration) was if you had a Game Genie to give you super srinting up the stairs & invulnerability to the stair ghosts (the $1,000,000 code was nice, too, if you wanted neat stuff right away). Otherwise, it was hard enough to make it just plain stupid.