Module 1: Ghostbusters

Official Raspberry Pi Project

This lesson is based on the official Raspberry Pi Foundation project. Open it alongside this guide to access the starter project, step-by-step instructions and community remixes.

How to use it: Click the link above, then click See Inside on the Scratch project to explore the finished version. Use Remix to get your own copy to edit.

What You Will Build

Build a ghost-hunting game with collision detection and scoring.

What You Will Learn

By the end of this project you will be able to:

• Use Events blocks to start scripts and respond to clicks
• Combine Motion, Looks and Sound blocks to create behaviours
• Use variables to track game state and scores
• Apply the specific Scratch concepts introduced in Module 1

You Will Need

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Create a haunted house backdrop.
2. Add a ghost sprite. Make it glide to random positions with a wait.
3. Add a ghostbuster (player) sprite controlled by the mouse or arrow keys.
4. When the player sprite touches a ghost: change [score] by [1], play a zap sound, hide ghost.
5. After hiding, wait [1] secs then show the ghost at a new random position.
6. Add a timer countdown from 30 seconds.
7. When the timer hits 0: stop all and display the score.
8. Add multiple ghost types: fast ghost (worth 2), slow ghost (worth 1), decoy (deduct 1).
9. Add lives — the ghostbuster has 3 chances before game over.
10. Add a scoreboard that shows the top score across sessions.

Extension Challenges

Try these after completing the main project:

• Add power-ups that freeze all ghosts for 3 seconds.
• Add boss ghosts that require multiple hits.
• Create different haunted locations as separate levels.

Reflection Questions

1. Which Scratch blocks did you use most in this project?
2. What would you add or change if you had more time?
3. How could you reuse the ideas from this project in a different context?

Share Your Work

When your project is complete, click Share in Scratch and post the link to your class or the Techbase community.