COMPUTER games have been thrust into a very poor spotlight in recent years.

They have been blamed by politicians for making youngsters violent, and by doctors for making children fat.

But now it appears that they have a much more useful purpose than simply distracting teenagers from their homework.

Rossendale entrepreneur Sara Pelling believes that using systems such as PlayStations and XBoxes can actually teach useful skills.

They will apparently develop skills like problem solving, pattern recognition, decision-making and self-monitoring - not to mention a better memory.

And her claims don't appear to be whimsical either.

Both the East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce and the Learning Skills & Development Agency have supported the notion.

However, while it is good to see ground-breaking thinking coming from East Lancashire, it certainly should not be used as an excuse by teenagers to do nothing but play the latest FIFA game.

Like most things in life, it's about a healthy balance and using time to do as many different things as possible - outdoors as well as in front of the computer.

Problem solving, decision-making and pattern recognition are not much use if your life is blighted by poor health and you are unable to communicate.