The Last Of Us adaptation gets rave reviews from TV and game fans

Screen adaptations of videogames don't always go to plan - but it seems that The Last Of Us has managed to shake up the genre with a hugely well received TV series.

The Last Of Us debuted on HBO and Sky Atlantic on Monday, airing its first episode at 2am in the UK to begin in line with the US, and repeating again at 9pm.

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Viewers were stunned at how good the pilot episode was, with praise for the first instalment almost unanimous.

One fan tweeted: "The Last Of Us show is incredible so far. What a powerful start."

Someone else agreed: "as a fan of the last of us series for years, I have to say this adaption from the pilot alone has to be one of the best I’ve seen in ages & I just know this is going to be one of the best pieces of tv this year. I really loved it"

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The storyline picks up 20 years after the collapse of modern civilisation and follows a survivor trying to break a teen out of quarantine before they head out on a hazardous journey across America.

It opened with a throwback scene to many years before the destruction of society, with scientists giving a chilling warning that it would be possible for fungi to take over human brains under the right conditions.

One viewer tweeted: "The Last of Us is not only one of the greatest games I’ve ever played, but it’s also one of the great works of art I’ve ever experienced in any medium. It was beautiful, scary, sad, maddening, hopeful & tragic. The show feels like that. They got it right."

Someone else wrote: "One of the most terrifying moments on television was just in the first episode of The Last of Us A doctor explains an extinction level threat that could destroy humanity, yet nothing was done. The true horror was how humans could learn of their destruction, yet still do nothing."

Fans of the game also joked about scenes they expected to see in the TV show.

One person tweeted: "Watching the The Last Of Us and getting really jealous that the characters don’t have to crouch behind a burnt car every 30 feet and wait for a guard to turn around."

Someone else joked: "The Last of Us seems like a pretty faithful adaptation of the original game but I think it was cowardly to leave out the scene where joel gets killed 18 times in the first clicker room and considers getting a refund."