IT IS a December morning and I am lying flat on my stomach in the mud, my mask steaming up in the icy air.

Looking down the barrel of my gun, I see the enemy ahead.

"ENEMY!" I scream as I take aim and watch orange bullets fly across the field towards my target.

A camouflaged figure runs ahead before throwing herself flat on the ground behind a bush.

"MOVE!" she shouts and I am on my feet, running towards the next patch of cover, slowed down by the weight of the ammunition pack around my waist.

This is close-quarter battle, a real exercise used by the Army in training.

Twenty 15-year-old pupils from Gateshead's Emmanuel College have already completed the exercise this morning - one of many drills they have taken part in over the course of the week, which is designed to give them a taste of Army life.

It should be a teenager's dream - paintball guns, fresh air and survival skills - and most are relishing the opportunity of pretending to be soldiers.

The Light Infantry, based in Durham, started running the residential courses last month and aims to hold one a month at Stainton Camp, near Barnard Castle, County Durham.

Cooking ration packs over a tiny flame and navigating their way through fields in the dark are just some of the activities on the Look at Life course, run by the Light Infantry as part of its recruiting efforts.

Course leader Sergeant Derek Johnson said: "Every aspect of the course reflects life in the military, from the early morning starts on the training ground and evening drill sessions, to the daily inspections of their sleeping quarters and uniform."

Later, I join about ten pupils to tackle the on-site assault course. It looks daunting - two 8ft walls, an icy pool of water, a grassy mound and a net to crawl under.

But after being talked through methods of getting over walls and leaping over pools, I find myself lying flat on top of the brick wall, looking at the long jump down.

The Army is not just about marching and shooting, Sgt Johnson said. One exercise tests the pupils' observation skills.

"Soldiers posted in Northern Ireland often have to remember a street and the cars in the street," he said. "That's why observation skills are so important."

Other activities throughout the week include orienteering, field craft lessons, building shelters, cooking ration packs, basic first aid, map reading skills and sports including rock climbing, archery and rifle shooting.

Sgt Johnson said: "Even if they don't want to join the Army, a week like this saves them the rigmarole of applying.

"As for the females, they can't join the infantry, but we tell them about the careers that are available for them. A lot of the pupils are surprised at what is on offer.

"They think of marching, shooting or running but don't realise we have vets, lawyers, nurses, etc in the Army.

"They really come out of their shell after the first couple of days and we start seeing the leaders, or the team workers.

"Some of them haven't experienced anything like this before, just being in the fresh air and running around, and it can change them and their perspective."

For more information about joining the Army, phone the recruitment offices at Bishop Auckland on (01388) 604110, Durham on 0191-384 7682, or Darlington on (01325) 464530.