Boffins working for the Ministry of Defence is part-funding a project in which foul smells are released into the air during training videos so that recruits literally learn to sniff out trouble.

The cunning plan is that in the long term the boffins will flog the technology to Microsoft and Sony to jack under the bonnet of their consoles. In the short term however it is military training that is in the forefront of the plan. A team of shrinks and computer engineers have teamed up to bombard troops with odours ranging from body sweat to diesel exhaust.

The big idea is that on the battlefield the presence of some smells and absence of others could indicate danger. Top boffin Bob Stone, research director of the Human Factors Integration Defence Technology Centre (HFIDTC) at Birmingham University, believes the technique could save soldiers' lives.

One example where smell is important is when going through an Arab village where there is always the smell of cooking meat. If that smell is not there. That could mean the village has been evacuated because the enemy are using it as a base from which to attack British troops. The 'scent delivery system' consists of a compressed air chamber with four fans and eight compartments, each of which holds a pot of wax, chemically impregnated with a particular odour.

Smells made so far include cordite, burning electrical wire, weapon fire and harbour and hospital smells, though other unpleasant stinks, such as cat urine, will be added to the list. The downside is that if you play a game on the Xbox your could end up being ordered out of the house by your mother or partner. 

However since most gamer's bedrooms already smell like something has died there it will often be difficult to see the difference between playing the game or not.