Where to get it

2003 · Puzzle · Strategy

Ghost Master

Ghost Master is a strategy game with a difference. Instead of playing with one single character, you build up an entire ghostly team. There are around 50 ghosts in total and each haunter has its own personality, strengths, and weaknesses. As the game develops the characters themselves will develop and grow.

Released: 23 May 2003
Platforms: OnLive PlayStation 2 Windows Xbox macOS
Genres: Puzzle Strategy
Developers: —
Publishers: Empire Interactive Feral Interactive
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Bird view / Isometric
Themes: Horror Comedy
Country: United Kingdom
Age ratings: PEGI 12 ESRB T
Languages: English, French, German, Italian
Time to beat: 13hmain story26hcompletionist

About

Ghost Master (released as Ghost Master: The Gravenville Chronicles on the Xbox and PlayStation 2) is a puzzle strategy game developed by British studio Sick Puppies for Windows. The game was later published on Mac OS X by Feral Interactive. The player assumes the role of a Ghost Master, a bureaucratic spirit tasked to perform certain duties. While the bulk of a Ghost Master's duties consist of hauntings, a Ghost Master may also be "called in" to increase belief in the supernatural, avenge deaths, and conscript renegade ghosts.

Because a Ghost Master cannot directly interfere in the world of mortals, the Ghost Master is given a team of subordinate ghosts to do so. When not haunting, the Ghost Master is responsible for the training of the ghosts under their command. A remastered version called Ghost Master: Resurrection was released for Windows, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch on March 20, 2026.

Players say

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The game consists of 15 levels. In most levels, the primary goal is to scare all the mortals (humans) and cause them to flee the area in fear or succumb to madness.

Ghost Master plays similarly to a real-time strategy game. The player first chooses the ghosts to field in the level. The player cannot field every ghost in every place. Each ghost has one or two types of objects (or "fetters") it can be bound to.

Reception

The PC and PlayStation 2 versions received "generally favorable reviews", while the Xbox version received "mixed" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.

GameSpot named Ghost Master the best computer game of August 2003. The staff of X-Play nominated Ghost Master for their 2003 "Best Strategy Game" award, which ultimately went to Rise of Nations.

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

Platform	Released	Regions
Windows	23 May 2003	Europe · North America 26 August 2003 · Japan 29 January 2004
macOS	5 November 2003	Europe
PlayStation 2	27 August 2004	Worldwide
Xbox	27 August 2004	Worldwide