Reviewed On: Xbox One

Available For: Android, iOS, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Publisher: Microsoft

Developer: Mojang Specifications

Genre: Sandbox

Age: 7 (PEGI)

Price: £16 - at time of writting

Minecraft's blocky appearance may at first appear primitive and like a game of yesteryear, but they're in fact the building blocks of which a player is bestowed god-like creative powers, shackled only by the limitations of their own mind.

Life in Minecraft starts on a seemingly empty, randomly-generated world where players must harvest materials with which to build themselves a shelter to see them through the night. With a small amount of time and a large amount of creativity, that shelter can soon become a house, a sprawling mansion, a city - even a world.

Players aren't just limited to creating buildings or abodes for their primitive looking characters to dwell, they can go on to fill these places with their custom built furniture, they can build monorail systems, subways, boats - anything they can think of.

Resources don't come free, instead players are required to spend their time mining for elements with which to use in the building process. It may be time consuming, but the satisfaction garnered from building structures from the ground up is unparalleled. Knowing you've not just built your home, but that you've made every brick, delivers an enormous sense of pride.

These hard-earned materials can also be lost. Being killed by a monster or tunnelling into a pocket of lava can be costly if you haven't recently stored your items in a chest. It pays to sensibly squirrel belongings away.

Minecraft isn't an episode of Grand Designs - it's not simply about building a home. Light RPG elements such as potion brewing, item enchanting, and horticulture help keep play fresh whilst adding depth in something to work towards.

This latest version for Xbox One has massive improvements over the Xbox 360, including worlds which are 36 times larger, the ability to have eight players on a map, and a plethora of new items.

The one thing which has stayed exactly the same, is Minecraft’s ability to suck the player in. It taps into some kind of primordial urge to create, build and horde – a massive achievement and undoubtedly why it’s become so popular.

Although at first glance Minecraft may look simple - it's simplicity is its greatest gift and its scope is truly endless.

SCORE: 9 / 10

PROS: Minecraft taps into a primordial desire to collect and build.

CONS: Some people will find constant building pointless.