Pandemic on PC is good, but it could be so much better

Pandemic has finally spread its infectious co-op gameplay to PC – but the latest digital version of Matt Leacock’s smash hit board game is a few cubes short of perfection.

It’s an attractive version of the original 2008 disease-battling favourite, at least, with flashy visuals and slick animations depicting the global fight against four plagues.

If you’ve somehow never come into contact with Pandemic before, there’s also a fancy interactive tutorial to get you started and the ability to check rules on the fly using the ‘info mode’.

As you’d hope, there’s support for local multiplayer for up to four people via a pass-and-play mode, but that’s just about your only option if you want to play with friends – there’s no way to play online at all.

Even if you prefer to play alone, you’ll be truly on your own, with no support for computer-controller companions or AI help. At least you’ll have the choice of three difficulty levels – beginner, intermediate and expert – to tailor to your skill.

Otherwise, it’s vanilla Pandemic as you know it, with seven different roles to choose from but zero elements of the game’s various expansions – On the Brink, In the Lab and State of Emergency – to add to each playthrough.

It could be that the app will be updated in coming weeks and months to address some of the criticisms from players – which has currently earned it a ‘Mostly Negative’ review rating on Steam – but with a price tag of £7, it’s still a reasonably decent and cheap way to enjoy base Pandemic on your computer screen. Just don’t expect much more than that.