Most teenagers would give their right arm for the chance to be the first to try out the latest computer games.

But lucky Alex Cresswell is going to be paid for it.

The 13-year-old must have thought Christmas had come early when electronics giant Sony offered him a six-month contract to test new games.

Alex, of, Heaton, will receive £50 a month to review two of the company's latest games before they hit the shops. "He suddenly got a letter saying that Sony wanted him to be junior reviewer," said his mum Carole. "To get paid for having a go on computer games before anyone else is like a dream. We were swept off our feet with it."

Alex, who has a twin brother Matthew who is equally mad on computers, said: "I got a Play-station for Christmas last year and I absolutely love it. Getting £50 a month for this is great."

Sony first found out about Alex's prowess with computer games when he won a national competition organised by the Press Pack children's page in Radio Times. He beat more than 1,000 entrants who were asked to write a 200-word article on what they thought their life would be like in the year 2020.

As part of his prize, Alex travelled with a film crew to the USA and was given the chance to visit the Oddworld computer games company in San Luis Obispo and have a sneak preview of the new game Abe's Exoddus.

Alex was then the envy of his classmates at St Bede's School in Heaton when his film report on the new game, which follows the success of Abe's Oddyssey, was broadcast on Newsround.

"The original game is really popular," said Alex, "but the new game is great. I was one of the first people in England to play the full version."

Sony was so impressed with Alex that the company signed him up to preview two of its latest games every month, two weeks before they are available in the shops.

"As soon as we found out I told him he was going to be very popular," said Mrs Cresswell.

Now parents Colin, 43, and Carole, 44, who are both civil servants, are gearing up for another taste of stardom.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.