`GHOSTBUSTERS' OFFERS WAY MORE WITH DVD.

Byline: - Rob Lowman

``Ghostbusters'' is being released on DVD today with all the bells and whistles - more like bells, whistles, tympani and chimes - that make this format a delight for film lovers.

Most DVDs, which are the same size as compact discs, contain extras such as deleted scenes or trailers, but the digitally remastered version of the 1984 hit comedy has pushed the envelope. There are three featurettes on the film - one recent and one '84 ``making of'' - along with one on the special effects. There are three ways to watch the film - the normal way; with commentary from ``Ghostbusters' '' director Ivan Reitman, writer/actor Harold Ramis and producer Joe Medjuck, who appear in silhouette - sort of like ``Mystery Science Theatre 3000'' - as they talk; and with subtitles drawn from a book about the making of the film (reminiscent of ``Pop-Up Videos'' on VH1).

There are also animated 3-D menus and a split-screen comparison of the film with its original storyboards. If you have a computer equipped with a DVD-ROM drive, you can connect to the ``Ghostbusters'' site on the Web, where you can find the original shooting script, which is hyperlinked to the film so you can compare what was scripted to what made it on the screen.

Overkill? Not if you're interested in the process of filmmaking. For instance, you find out from the commentary that much of the script was changed in production. With comic talents like Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Rick Moranis, who have improv backgrounds, it's not surprising there was a lot of ad-libbing. The special-effects featurette is fascinating, considering how good the effects are and how far FX technology has advanced.

And even if all this is just too much to digest at one sitting, the Columbia Pictures release, priced at $25, is lots of fun. And unlike most videos, it is something you can keep going back to.