THE lost art of teamwork and the spirit of old Warhammer boardgames is being revisited with the launch of Vermintide on consoles.

Swedish developer Fatshark's first-person combat game allows you to team up with friends or players from all over the world to take on giant rats called Skaven in the fantasy realm of Ubersreik.

After Vermintide's successful launch on PC, it has finally found its way onto consoles where it is bringing out a cooperative side in players who are typically more used to the competitive, pigheaded gameplay in the likes of Call of Duty.

You can play a range of characters each with their own abilities including soldier, wizard, witch hunter, waywatcher and dwarf based on the Warhammer: End Times series.

But essentially you have a ranged weapon, a melee weapon, which are both upgradable, and you can pick up bombs. There are also potions to enhance your abilities and health packs to help you recover after various skirmishes.

Gameplay wise, Vermintide is much like Left 4 Dead replacing zombies for rats.

Your encounters with the Skaven, as you raid the likes of dungeons and sewers, are randomly generated which always keeps you on your toes.

One moment it could be eerily quiet, the next you could be attacked mercilessly from all sides.

And like Left 4 Dead some of the Skaven can instantly incapacitate your character meaning teamwork and watching each other's backs is essential. There is no room for lone wolves.

There are a range of sprawling levels to explore which usually culminate with you defending an area from incoming attacks as you complete a task.

Again, teamwork is key. The only downside is the game is a bit glitchy at times – a friend was dragged through a wall by an enemy five times while Weekend was playing.

You cannot play splitscreen when your mates are at your house and there is no way to play by yourself offline which limits the experience a bit.

But at the time of writing it was easy to find matches on Xbox One and it is a good game to jump in and out of for casual players. Can you halt the infestation?

RATING: 6/10

DAVID MORGAN