Children are rarely taught to touch type

Supporters say not only does it do that, it also raises their general literacy levels.

An increasing number of education authorities are taking an interest in the game, Keyboard Crazy.

Now, the Department for Education and Skills has invited the makers to a meeting with one of its curriculum specialists.

A letter from the Education Secretary, Charles Clarke, says children are taught to use the keyboard competently, as part of the national curriculum requirements on the use of information and communication technology (ICT).

"However, I am keen to involve commercial partners in supporting schools and would be happy to consider how we could raise the profile of such a game with schools."

Test results

At its simplest, the game challenges children to remember where letters are on the standard "Qwerty" keyboard.

Braille and British Sign Language versions are also available

One of the first schools to try using it, in its daily literacy hour, was Admirals Junior School in Norfolk.

Performance in the English national curriculum tests rose from half of the children reaching the expected level in 2001 to three-quarters in 2002, a performance repeated this year.

The head of Thetford education action zone was sufficiently impressed to adopt the game across the zone.

A trial by Wakefield education authority found that it accelerated children's typing skills - often a neglected area of learning, in spite of the greatly increased use of computers in schools.

Others are also looking into it - Staffordshire, for example, has just begun a trial.

The man organising that, Alan Foster, said colleagues and teachers had reported that computer keyboard skills in primary schools "were, on the whole, poor".

"I felt that enabling reception age children to have access to Keyboard Crazy would develop their character recognition and identifying letters and numbers on the keyboard in a fun way."

'Familiarity'

Researchers at the University of Liverpool concluded that all children aged five to 11 could benefit.

They said a statistical analysis bore out teachers' comments, that playing the game a number of times resulted in faster keyboard use - making the children more efficient and more confident.

The government's schools computer agency, Becta, has made the point that some aspects of using a keyboard can be developed only at a real computer keyboard - the "psycho-motor skills" involved in touch-typing, for example.

But children's work would be enhanced if they were familiar with the layout.

"Your product provides an engaging way of developing such a familiarity," it said.