Best Minecraft Xbox 360 seeds: rule geography with an iron fist

Minecraft updates are things of joy and wonderment, but there's a downside - if you want the new terrain types and structures, you'll have to start your Garden of Eden project from scratch. No biggy when it comes to Minecraft Xbox 360 update 1.7.3, which adds little to the equation besides masses of juicy, nourishing clay, but the forthcoming "Adventure" update 1.8.2 is a bulkier customer. Strongholds. Villages. Ravines. Creative Mode. OXM Land's days are, we're sorry to say, probably numbered.

Fortunately, Minecraft Xbox 360 also features a highly fertile seed editor. What's a seed, you ask? A string of case-sensitive letters and numbers which serve as a starting point for the terrain generation algorithm, silly, letting players guide the layout and composition of a world. Pick the right seed, and you won't have quite so much ground to make up when those crazy new features arrive.

A mind-boggling number of specimens have been identified and tested, many brought over from the PC versions. Here are a few of our favourites. Feel free to share any others you've discovered - we'll update the list - and bear in mind that seeds don't produce identical results each time they're used. Think of it as the snowball which starts the avalanche.

1. "SnD Hesitant"

North-west of the spawn, you'll find a massive pit containing two exposed dungeons and an absolute pile of diamonds.

2. "Dead Mau5"

A good choice if you're fond of dramatic, implausible overhangs, flying mountains and waterfalls. There's also a Skeleton Dungeon buried hereabouts which contains saddles, Moss Stone, Redstone, iron and buckets.

3. "AndrewIsGREAT"

Coughs up a massive, mountainous, heavily forested continent containing massive cave systems, lava flows and a fair few waterfalls. This one's a reliable source of clay, with upwards of twelve stacks to unearth. Watch out for a massive desert to the west.

4. "beagle bagle"

If you're in no hurry to explore, and you're fond of vertigo, this world's preponderance of cliff formations and trees should amuse.

5. "Quesadila"

Need bonemeal for fertiliser and clothing dyes? Don't mind a bit of additional risk? This world pops two monster spawners on the surface for easy drop grinding - one produces skellingtons, the other zombies.

6. "10110101"

Another solid pick for the spectacle-minded, whipping stone and earth into enormous overhangs which shelter treasure-filled dungeons.