CAESAR Grahame emerged the undisputed winner of the first HeroClix tournament held at the Comic Stop. Over the course of four hours, wide-eyed competitors stopped by the Front Street venue with their faces on, only to taste defeat and get sent packing or relegated to the sidelines as spectators.The majority of the competitors were avid comic book readers / collectors and the figures used during the competition were based on animated series. Competitors armed with "teams" of action figures of their favourite hero or villain were limited to a maximum of 400 points' worth of strength.

What made the tournament even more interesting was that the figures moved in chess piece-like fashion and the players were committed to execute a move within a certain time limit, courtesy of a timer provided for each game.

At the base of each action figure, a dial allowed the competitor to fine tune his piece prior to the start of the tournament.

Tournament organiser Garron Madeiros was pleased with the turnout on a particularly wet Sunday.

"Every weekend, except for the last weekend of the month, we have had people come and play friendly games and I'm glad to see that the tournament was well attended."

Mr. Madeiros said the age group of competitors ranged between nine and 30.

"We have starter kits that aspiring players can purchase which contain six action figures, rules and a map showing the competition area. Each game is about 50 minutes long and ten minutes is spent tallying your points to see if you are victorious or not."

He added that the game could be played anywhere and was relatively inexpensive and the potential for spirited competition was virtually limitless.

"One of the best things about having the weekly gatherings is the amount of young people who come in and ask questions and I would not have gotten this far if it wasn't for my wife who has been supportive since day one. Plus, with the number of kids who stop by, it gives them somewhere positive to attend and keeps them off the streets."

At present the figures that have been in active competition have been from the Marvel Label, although DC Comics have jumped on the bandwagon with their own brand of HeroClix. The grand prize was a figure of Dark Phoenix, a popular Marvel Comic heroine. Six of the island's hard-core HeroClix players gave it their all in hopes of securing the top berth but in the end it was Mr. Caesar who added the figurine to his trophy case.

The prize was sponsored by Wiz Kids (USA) and Mr. Madeiros said there would be consolation prizes awarded. Obviously elated with the player's enthusiasm, Mr. Madeiros said there were plans to hold a 'Mech Warrior' Tournament in the New Year.

"When I get my prizes, then we will be officially recognised in the US. The guys will get an online profile and other players can go online and look at the other person's strengths and weakness. The rules and figures are similar with slight variations."

Those interested in learning more about upcoming tournaments, or the game in general, may either contact Garan Madeiros at the Comic Stop at 29-comic or visit the web site www.THE COMICSTOP.BM