More exciting than Roland Garros, more uncertain than Wimbledon, less expensive than a Formula 1 Grand Prix and guaranteed steroid-free, the first Tournament of the Indomitable (it's a trademark, I'm not kidding) sounds the starting gun today!
Make sure you have a fresh box of balls for the week and concentrate on placing your votes. The scene you will discover when you click here will take your breath away: we've got it all - seeded players, yellow balls, competitor photographs, a famous host and suspense guaranteed to last for weeks.
Every Missive will cover a new round. 128 champions are champing at the bit!
The breathtaking combat between Asterix and Vexatius Sinusitus, followed by the duel between Obelix and Crustacius, set the pace in this first round. Make sure you follow every game. Remember, you can only vote once per match for your favourite candidate. These Gauls are something else, aren't they?

We almost reached the threshold of 300,000 unique monthly visitors last month.
All indicators are on the rise: the English, German, Spanish, Dutch and French sites are reaching all time highs with visits from new surfers increasing each month.
The boom in traffic has our web technicians on the verge of a nervous breakdown.


Up every day from the moment the cock crows to long after the banquet has been devoured and cleaned away, they stand valiant in the fray of action. That's the price you have to pay for being brilliant: it's the law of the Gauls!
Back in February, we wondered when we would exceed 20 million hits; according to the Roman militia, there were 22 million hits in April whereas our Druid counted 23 million…
We should note that Obelix was not responsible for the 23 million hits, we have to be fair, after all!

The first enigmas designed to help you discover a preview of illustrations from the next album were so successful that we're back with a whole new series of mysteries. A second vignette is concealed on the site and will be revealed only if you can decipher the new enigmas of Tapidesourix, the site's infamous Mazarin! Results from the first session B (which people said was easier), 104 winners discovered an original character from plate 2 of the upcoming album while 52 of you turned in scores allowing you to enjoy a vignette from plate 1.

We have decided to give you one more month to rack your brains and decipher these first enigmas. At the same time, we will be adding a second series: glide your mouse over the green countryside surrounding the peaceful village on the site's homepage and discover the soothsayer, Prolix, the most famous reader of the Asterix Adventures.

The results of the first official referendum of 2005 were extremely instructive! We'll set the counters to zero next year so that you once again designate your favourite heroes. The results are clear for the moment: after a quick start, Obelix was kind enough to let his comrade take the lead:

Asterix steals first place with 5,685 votes, Obelix takes second with 3,386 and his pooch also climbs the podium with 1,891 votes. Next, there is Panacea, the first lady with 1,527 votes; the chief, Vitalstatistix, racks up 703 votes; Cleopatra scores 687 and Geriatrix just barely beats out Getafix (426) with 451 votes.
The bard is in the top ten with 369, and, surprise, Winesanspirix, country hero of the Chieftain's Shield claims 233 votes to arrive in tenth place! As you can see, although some things were certain there were also some nice surprises!
Among your favourite covers, "Asterix and Cleopatra" tops the charts with 1,801 votes, far ahead of "Asterix in Britain" (674 votes), "Asterix at the Olympic Games" (655), "Asterix and the Gladiator" (637) and then, and this is a big surprise, the latest album "The Class Act" comes in fifth with 587 votes! Albert Underzo's illustrations have spanned decades!

As far as dummies are concerned, Caligula Minus, alias "Minix", has the dubious honour of being named the "silliest sausage", Caius Fatuous comes in second and Tremensdelirius, the Roman who drinks like a fish, places third.
To be continued and verified next year, beginning in February 2006…

There are blessed moments in life -- moments when we almost feel like we're 13-years old again. I just had one of those moments, and it was one of the better ones. I just read the first 40 plates of the new album, including 15 colour drawings and 25 in pencil!
It was compensation for all the fish fights we have in our daily lives here in the village. Albert Uderzo is in fine form: his new work is original, unique, extraordinary… Words can't describe it….!
The drawings are amazing. I laughed a lot. The author pushed his ideas to the limit and our Gauls seem to be delighted. Obelix is definitely a star. Asterix is marvellous. The new characters are incredible!
This album has everything! Be patient! Just five more months...