Can't wait to play Minecraft on Android? There is always MineBuilder.

We have been checking out a game called MineBuilder for awhile now which is essentially a Minecraft-style game that is actually very similar to actual Minecraft. This game has been out for about 2 months and through quite a few updates MineBuilder has come a long way from it's inception.

MineBuilder brings the flavor of Minecraft to Android while we all wait for the official Minecraft game to be launched. While the official game will be exclusive to the Xperia Play for a short period of time when it's launched, the rest of the Android world will have to wait. MineBuilder is looking more and more promising as an alternative while you wait for the official Minecraft Pocket Edition to come to your device.

Controls are a couple of on-screen buttons and a virtual joystick which actually works fairly well. It comes with a lot of the features that you would expect to find in Minecraft or a game similar to it such as crafting, building structures, cave system (work in progress), monsters, texture packs and of course mining and minerals. One really great feature though is that you can actually import your Minecraft map into MineBuilder. Current unsupported blocks will just be replaced by air.

Features:

• Import Minecraft maps (unsupported blocks will be replaced by air)
• Place/Remove blocks
• Crafting
• Monsters
• Texture packs

The developer has big plans for MineBuilder as well. Things already planned for the 1.8 version include elevators and even multiplayer which will be interesting to see how that get implemented. There are bugs that show up in the game but considering it's still being developed that is to be expected of course. There is a slew of information available including a recipe book with all the current recipes included in game should you need any help.

So if you are looking to get your fix of mobile Minecraft until the official Pocket Edition is launched for your device, you may want to check MineBuilder out. You can pick this up off the Android Market for $1.41. Now that the game is more polished and less raw like it was when it first came out, Minecraft fans should enjoy it.

Developer Website: MineBuilder Website

Android Market Link: MineBuilder