If you’re a Raspberry Pi enthusiast then you may well be very pleased with news that the hugely popular Minecraft construction game is now available for the platform. The even better news is that the Minecraft: Pi Edition from Mojang is free and while it may not offer everything we’re used to there is a plus side from the Pi edition.

For those of you haven’t heard of the Raspberry Pi microcomputer then we’ll explain that it’s a very basic credit-card sized single-board computer aimed at promoting the teaching of computer science in schools and it was launched in 2012. It comes in two models, A & B, priced at only $25 and $35 respectively and its target audience also includes hackers and those who just have an interest and want to learn more.

The Minecraft game is likely to be a very welcome addition as in 2012 it had already achieved more than 15 million downloads across various platforms. Eager Raspberry Pi owners have been waiting for the Pi edition since it was first announced back in November. The new Minecraft: Pi Edition is based on the Minecraft Pocket Edition that some of you may have enjoyed on smartphones and tablets.

Although the Minecraft: Pi Edition offers the usual gameplay expected it does lack support for the survival mode that those of you who are used to the desktop or mobile Minecraft experience will know. On the plus side though people using the Pi edition of the game can add to their enjoyment by being able to edit game code to enhance it to their own requirements. As Raspberry Pi Foundation’s Liz Upton explained, “All you have to do is set up a network connection to the running game, and then you can send text commands to control the world.” There’s also multiple programming language support from launch.

Mojang has announced that you can grab the Minecraft: Pi Edition now from this Minecraft page where you’ll find full instructions for the free download. We’d really be interested to find out if you are a Raspberry Pi user and if you are pleased that you can now obtain Minecraft for the platform? Let us know with your comments.