An ex-brickie who left school with no qualifications is currently living his lifelong dream after designing an official Olympic computer game.

Former Chapelfields resident Steven Wilcox worked non-stop for days on end to finish the game - Sydney 2000 - as part of a team at his employers, Warwick-based software company Attention to Detail.

Though always interested in computers, Steven decided to leave Lowfield School without any qualifications after seeing his friends already earning money.

But while working as an apprentice brickie he continued working on computer demo programs from his bedroom and sending them to companies.

He also entered several global computer competitions. Steven, 29, said it had always been his dream to work for one of the global software giants, but never thought it would happen. Then the phone started ringing. "At first, I couldn't believe it," he said. "Offers were coming in from companies around the world, companies I had only dreamed of working for and they were contacting me. It did take a while to sink in, I must admit.

"I had to think quite hard about what I wanted to do, but in the end chose Attention to Detail for family reasons. I've never looked back."

His mother, Grace, of Barkston Avenue, said she and her husband, Derek, were proud of him, and his elder brother, John, who is a sergeant in the Army.

She believed Steven, who has a seven-month-old daughter, Amber, and 11-year-old stepdaughter, Stacey, with his partner Paula, would go further in his career.

"He did say himself he wished when he was at school he had realised he should have gone further, but he did it in the end.

"He got so determined to it and got into it so much - while a lot of them were out enjoying themselves he was sitting there with his books.

"It's just nice to see him do well," Grace added.

Lee Butterworth, of Spurriergate-based computer shop Game, said: "It's nice to hear someone from York had so much to do with producing Sydney 2000. It's a really good game and is selling very well on all formats."