Simulations Publications, Inc., 44 East 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010. Bi-monthly offset printed, 48 pp, 8 1/2 x11", plus inserts (game). $15.00/year. James F. Dunnigan, Editor/Publisher. Issue Number33, July 1972. Circulation, 15,000.

This issue of S&T is sufficiently out of the ordinary to warrant a closer look than usual. Since the last Return Fire indicates that about 88% of you are S&T subscribers, most of you have seen the issue in question, so this is for the newest of you. The game included with this issue is WINTER WAR: The Russo-Finnish Conflict, by James F. Goff, Redmond Simonsen, and Phillip Orbanes. I haven't had time to play it, but I have heard favorable reports on it. It is, evidently, less complex, more playable, and more fun than anything to come out of SPI in quite a while. The subject is the 1939-1940 campaign in which, after embarrassing set-backs, Russia managed to take a few square miles of Finnish land. The Finns soon got their revenge by joining with the Germans when they attacked Russia the following year, but that's another game.

The feature article this time is quite a departure from the usual. "The History of Wargaming" comes in two parts, back-to-back. The first part, by Martin Campion, covers the development of wargames from their origins thousands of years ago, with particular attention to their development as planning and training aids for the military over the past hundred years or so. This part is interesting but not particularly exciting. Part II, by Steven Patrick, covers the birth and growth of boardwargaming as you and I know it and love it. While it virtually ignores the miniatures and DIPLOMACY branches of the hobby, the background it does give on the origins and growth of Avalon Hill, S&T, and Gamescience make for fascinating reading. Despite a bit of chest thumping and minor omissions and inaccuracies (such as labeling PANZERFAUST as a club magazine) this article should be of consuming interest to every serious wargamer and alone worth the new $4.00 single issue price (the two parts take up 20 1/3 pages).

The other article is "Winter War" by James F. Goff. It is the usual in-depth study of a campaign--to complement the accompanying game--that we've come to take for granted in S&T.

The issue is rounded out by the usual features: "Sackson on Games" with reviews of DEALER'S CHOICE by Parker Brothers, and SPECULATE, by John Waddington, Ltd.; book reviews, the editorial, and a new column "PowerPolitics," with an excellent DIPLOMACY article by Rod Walker.

A few small changes in the graphical presentation of the magazine have done wonders for its appearance. My special compliments to Red Simonsen and crew for the cover and the start of the "Winter War" article.

All in all, the best issue of S&T in a long time--which partially compensates for the raise in subscription price from $10.00/year to $15.00.