IT'S A game of skill and chance, requiring lightening fast reactions, a good memory and a real eye for numbers.

It is mentally challenging, becoming a truly great player takes years of practice, and - as university researcher Julie Winstone hopes to prove - bingo could really help increase your brain power.

You may think she's just playing around, but if you are a bingo devotee, Julie wants your number.

The 35-year-old is calling out for a house of bingo fans, willing to help in her research to prove their favourite game is not just fast and fun - but good for you too.

Julie, who is studying for a PhD in cognitive psychology at Southampton University, said: "A lot of research is focused on chess and bridge because many academics play those, but no-one's ever studied the different cognitive skills and their link to the game of bingo. My parents played the game and I've tried it myself, and there's a lot more to it than the stereotypical 'blue-rinse brigade'.

"It's a very fast game and it uses skills in visual search and memory, as well as being brilliant for hand-eye co-ordination. It's ideal for my study because a very large percentage of the elderly population play it."

Julie starting researching the benefits of bingo at her local British Legion club back home in Bristol, before starting her three-year PhD at Southampton just over a year ago.

To expand the study, she has now broken the game down into sections, which she hopes to use as exercises for volunteers.

She said: "Some of them are pen and paper tasks, while others are on computer. For instance, I may ask the volunteer to press a button on the computer as soon as they see a certain digit flash up on the screen, and I will measure their reaction time, because one of the most profound steps in the ageing process is slowing reactions."

Julie is looking for as many bingo players as possible to take part in her research - which can either be done at the university or in volunteers' homes.

She added: "I hope to publish my results and present them to the public at large. It's really a way of finding out things like whether you have to play a number of times a week to get maximum benefit, and whether bingo is an activity that - rather than being discouraged by the stereotype - should be encouraged in places like nursing homes and therapeutic environments.

"The ageing population is expanding and I think that anything which encourages people to stay mentally active is very important."

For more information call Julie at Southampton University on 023 8059 4595.