This issue sees a few changes in direction for 'Colonial Conquest', chiefly due to the arrival of a new editor. Although I hope to build on those aspects of 'Colonial Conquest' which have established its popularity, I do want to introduce a few new ideas. Future issues will see a shift away from the concentration on theme issues - except of special occasions - towards a broader range of subject matter. These will be largely history based, concentrating on battles, personalities, incidents, army organisation and uniforms, and covering not only Colonial armies, but the forces of the many people opposed to them as well.

The main emphasis will still be on the mainstream, British nineteenth- century Colonial campaigns - so plenty to interest Sudan and Anglo-Zulu War enthusiasts! - but I hope to whet your appetite with the occasional article on less wellknown incidents, many of which are equally fascinating. Some of these, like the article on the First World War in 'German SouthWest' in this issue, may not fit obviously into a narrow definition of 'colonial conquest', but are still very much colonial campaigns, both in a true sense, and in the attitudes and conditions under which they were fought.

Similarly, I hope future articles will cover pre-nineteenth century colonial campaigns as well, so expect to see something now and then on Fifteenth and Sixteenth century adventures in Africa or the Caribbean, as well as the odd piece which strikes me as quirky or interesting, and which I'll include as the whim takes me! Since this period of history is very much alive, in more ways than one, I hope the magazine will also become a means of exploring what's happening now, and to this end this issue includes not only a report on this year's Victorian Military Fair undoubtedly the largest event of Victorian interest staged in the UK - but also a bumper book review section, which will be a feature from now on.

I also hope to continue the occasional series about the way colonial wars have been treated in the cinema, and to feature new films as they come out. So, whatever aspect of the colonial era appeal to you, whether you are a wargamer, collector or simply a reader of history, I hope 'Colonial Conquest' will continue to interest and intrigue you.

This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com