THE Walking Dead TV Show – or the original comic book series it’s based on – has never been about zombies. Instead, both serials concentrate on a dysfunctional group of survivors and how they cope with the constant threat of being eaten alive.

The Walking Dead

Publisher: Telltale Games

Price: �3.99

Format: PS3 download (also on Xbox 360, PC, Mac)

Age rating: 18+

THE Walking Dead TV Show – or the original comic book series it’s based on – has never been about zombies. Instead, both serials concentrate on a dysfunctional group of survivors and how they cope with the constant threat of being eaten alive.

Echoing these themes, the videogame adaptation of The Walking Dead introduces a new bunch of people caught up in the zombie apocalypse. It also apes the episodic nature of both its TV and comic book counterparts, spreading its adventure across five monthly instalments, the first of which has just been released.

Events run parallel to those of the comic book, with the player taking control of Lee Everett, a convicted criminal, shortly before the world goes to hell. When the police car taking him to prison crashes into an undead jaywalker, he’s unexpectedly set free, and it’s his subsequent adventures that make up the bulk of the game.

Of course, how this particular story unfolds is entirely up to you, with major decisions impacting on future events. In that respect, it’s a bit like the Mass Effect trilogy, although we’ve yet to see if some of your actions follow through to the series’ conclusion.

It’s an encouraging start though, with Everett quickly teaming up with an orphaned girl and other unlikely survivors. You can also expect a number of familiar faces from the comic book series popping up, too.

Control-wise, things couldn’t be simpler, with one stick governing movement and the other controlling an on-screen cursor. When this is moved over an object, you’re able to choose how you want to interact with it by pressing different face buttons, while conversations consist of picking one of four responses.

The Walking Dead might not be a combat-heavy game, but there are still more than enough zombies to dispatch, usually by mashing buttons and triggering quick-time events. It’s not all gung-ho action either, with one section demanding that you quietly decapitate members of the undead fraternity without alerting other walkers to your presence.

With a believable cast of characters, excellent voice work and some delightful comic book-style visuals, The Walking Dead’s first outing as a videogame is an unqualified success. Its plot-driven approach and branching storylines invite a second play through at the very least.