Pandemic 2
The bigger sequel: pick virus, bacteria or parasite, and fight a world that now closes airports and shuts borders.
Pandemic 2 from 2008 expanded the original into the version most people actually remember. You choose a pathogen class up front, each with its own balance of speed and stealth, and the world fights back properly: countries close ports, ground flights and start research the moment they notice symptoms.
That reactive world is what makes it hard. Madagascar closing its single port became an internet joke precisely because the game punishes you for being noticed one turn too early. The winning strategy is almost always to spread silently across every continent first and only then spend points on anything visible.
Controls
Mouse only: click the map and the upgrade panels
Tips
- Spread to every continent before you evolve a single visible symptom. Once borders close they do not reopen.
- Island nations need an airborne or waterborne route, so buy it before anyone starts shutting ports.
- Drug resistance matters more than lethality late on, since rich countries will otherwise cure you outright.