IN A new twist of the age-old dating game, an American internet site is offering women the chance to recycle their old boyfriends by recommending them to other potential mates.

Greatboyfriends.com allows women to post pictures of their exes, along with a candid assessment of his boyfriend potential. “Too Good to be True (all my girlfriends thought I was nuts when we broke up),” declares a typical posting.

Every man receives a Scout rating (“He’s a cross between a Boy Scout and a rogue”); a Male Ego rating (“conceited, but adorable”); a Handsome rating (“My mother would call him nice-looking”); and a Ring-Buying rating (“a small, but stylish, diamond engagement ring”).

Probe a little deeper and you find the all-important Mother rating (“He’s tender/grateful/understanding towards his Mom”), plus other telling personal details and the opportunity to correspond directly with the old girlfriend, or “Acquisitions Adviser”.

Jean Carroll, the site’s founder, came up with the idea a month ago in the course of answering readers’ inquiries as agony aunt for the US edition of Elle.

“The number one question for the last ten years is: ‘How do I find a man?’ ” she said. “It suddenly occurred to me. What about all those girls who have these great ex-boyfriends and all those girls who do not have boyfriends?” Ms Carroll, now single after being married “the usual number of times” (twice), says that she is sometimes tempted by the men on offer.

Her favourite is an American “financial whiz” living in London who rode in a professional bicycling team and can afford “a large emerald with four diamond baguettes”. His ex says: “His downfall has been his terrific niceness. He has let women take advantage.”

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