Researching history can be an unpredictable and, occasionally, confounding old game.

What makes it so interesting is that new viewpoints come to light all the time, along with new evidence, making history a subject that can, from time to time, be rewritten.

The proliferation of history sites on the web is well known, but the real beauty of swotting up on history online is that you have access to hundreds of different angles, views and opinions at any time.

nother bonus is that, while it takes authors years to disseminate and write books on world events, the internet is full of that kind of information moments after it has happened.

So if you're looking for a balanced view on a historical event, whether it happened yesterday or 100 years ago, there really is no better place to start your journey into the past than on the net.

General sites
It's been said before but it's worth repeating: one of the best history sites online, which is full of interactive features on hundreds of subjects, is part of a British institution.

The BBC History really is exceptional and, as a first port of call for British history, there's nowhere better. It's approachable and varied and, on an educational level, even history-shy schoolchildren cannot fail to find something interesting within it.

We won't go into too much detail here, however, as we have focused on all that the Beeb has to offer online in our exploration of the BBCi website.

Also worth a glance are Britannia's pages on British history at www.britannia.com/history. And, continuing with the learning theme, School History, with its special emphasis on supporting the history curriculum in schools, is also worth looking at.

Of course, these sites view British history from a British perspective but, as we'll show, the internet offers other points of view, too.

Recent history: The Gulf War
No sooner has something of world importance happened than it effectively passes into history.

These days, the internet has its own vital part to play in recording that history, and there's no better example of this than last year's conflict in Iraq.

If the first Gulf War in 1991 was the first real media war, the reporting of the conflict of 2003 was different in one crucial way: in 1991 there was no internet.

Everything, from in-depth analysis to personal weblogs (also known as blogs) written by people caught up in the conflict are all recorded online. Different viewpoints abound, making an informed judgement on whether the war was justified or not that little bit easier.

From the two main military powers involved, Britain and the US, you can research the official viewpoints on sites such as the Ministry of Defence, and US Central Command, and you can look at sites set up by some of the soldiers sent to fight there.

For example, this 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards website has an interesting section on the regiment's role in the Gulf War.

Some people will argue that, in internet terms, the most fascinating stories of the war were - and, indeed, still are - the websites set up by the ordinary people in the street. Reading these, you'll get different opinions, often untainted by official policy and the like.

Command Post, for example, is a blog that describes itself as "not a professional news service we are just a group of bloggers from around the world trying to post the latest professional news that we have seen, heard, or read."

So they pool news from a multitude of sources on what's happening in Iraq, with plenty of archive material covering the weeks and months before, during and after the main military aspect of the war.

One of the unexpected successes of the war was the blog of an English-speaking Iraqi in Baghdad who posted his views on the war as it unfolded. Going by the name of Salam Pax, his fame has earned him regular slots writing for The Guardian. Check out his blog, Where is Raed?.

Another site that came to prominence during the Afghanistan war and the Iraqi conflict that followed it was that of news network Al-Jazeera.

Its growing importance in the media comes down, largely, to the fact that Al-Jazeera became something of an unofficial mouthpiece for characters such as Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.

Al-Jazeera, by its very nature, offers an Arab view of the continuing troubles of the Middle East, as does the hard-talking, London-based 1924. Since the war officially ended, many hundreds of free-speaking Iraqi newspapers and sites have also sprung up - one of the best is Iraq Today.

But as George Bush's state visit to Britain in November 2003 and the ensuing protests proved, opinion in the UK is still divided. And for every news source you'll find anti-war sites, ranging from the established CND to Bare Witness, a protest group whose members take off their clothes to make their point.

And, finally, to the sobering thought of how much the war has cost (and is still costing) the US Government. Cost of War lists an ever-rising price, based on estimates from the Congressional Budget Office. At the time of writing this was well over a staggering $89,120,000,000, and rising alarmingly quickly.

Re-enacting history
To simply read about history is not always enough for some people - many serious history fans like to live it out for themselves.

Historical re-enactment is a surprisingly popular pastime, whether it is dressing up as German paratroopers, roundheads or US Civil War soldiers before playing out various skirmishes.

There is an educational side to it all, of course, since re-enactments are always open to the public and give young and old alike an insight into the clothing, weaponry and tactics of the time.

The first place to take a look at if you are interested in joining in, is Re-enact.com, which claims to be "the number one website for UK re-enactors". The site lists more than 200 societies, each specialising in a particular period, such as the Wars of the Roses Federation, the World War Two Living History Association and so on.

Histrenact is another similar site, and lists plenty of re-enactment societies. But it has the added extra of listing the manufacturers of period equipment. Amazingly, there are small businesses out there making, and we quote, period tentage, and even medieval weaponry. It's amazing what people need!

Finding history
In some ways, re-enactments make history less abstract and more real. But there are other ways of doing this, the most obvious of which is to actually visit the locations where famous historical events unfolded.

History tourism has always been popular, whether it is going to see the ruins at Pompeii or scouring the First World War battlefields.

For Brits, WWI and WWII are particularly fascinating for obvious reasons; there are many soldiers still alive, and most people have family members who fought or died in one of the two world wars.

A good place to start is History.uk.com, which describes itself as a "vast searchable online history resource".

But this is no ordinary history site - as well as information on historical events themselves, it also lists details of historical venues, and other websites related to visiting them. It really is comprehensive, too, listing museums of all types, from old mills to military museums and so on.

Trips to places such as the First World War battlefields remain as popular as ever, and you can find out all you need about going on a trip by heading online. Two of the best sites are Holts Tours, Battlefields and History, and Battlefield Tours.

But these companies don't just stick to the Somme and Flanders - there are tours in 2004 to such places as Gallipoli, the battlefields of the Zulu and Boer wars, and the Death Railway in Thailand/Burma.

Closer to home, you can get a taste of history by booking a week or a weekend away in a heritage home in the UK - go to Historic UK to find out how. The site also has loads of information on different destinations, and features articles on various events in UK history.

History in pictures
It's sometimes difficult to visualise a battlefield, or a particular location where something took place, and not always possible to physically pay it a visit.

But there are some excellent sites online that offer a photographic history of various historical events to help you get a clearer picture.

The Berlin Wall, for example, might have only been taken down 14 years ago, but there's no doubt it was a seminal moment in history, and Die Berliner Mauer site is a superb photographic reminder of the wall and its effect on Berlin. The images are taken for the most part from the 1970s and 1980s.

Staying with Germany, the Third Reich in Ruins site is another fascinating historical resource based on photos taken by a US soldier as he advanced into Germany in 1945.

The site was set up by the soldier's son who was inspired by the photos his father took. The result is a 'then and now' montage of Germany, with recent photos taken from exactly the same spots showing how things have changed.

The Imperial War Museum website has a great selection of images too, but a web search will reveal even more sites to check out.

Opening up the past
When you're researching a subject you'll find that official sites go hand in hand with personal recollections, tourism sites and other historical sources, giving online historians a head start over their paper-based counterparts.

And unlike history TV programmes, where documentary makers try to make an audience see events from the film producer's point of view, the web puts you in charge of the facts.

If you prefer a more active involvement, then the web can point you in the direction of a re-enactment or a tour of a historical location.

Whether you're interested in events of long ago or very recent history, the web is the ultimate portal to the past.

Other history sources
For anyone researching history, it's useful to know that a lot of the legwork can be done online. However, there are also some things that can only be done the hard way - by heading off to places such as the National Archives, the British Library and so on.

National Archives is the amalgamation of the Public Record Office and Historical Manuscript Commission, and both of these can be visited in their Kingston and London locations respectively.

Similarly, the British Library is slap-bang in the middle of central London. That's all very well for anyone living in the London area but not much use for people who cannot make regular trips to the capital.

Never fear, however - your local library will often have the book or information you need. The UK Public Libraries Page lists the UK's local libraries, some of which have online resources you can use. For academics and scholars in the field of historical research there is also the Institute of Historical Research in London.

Genealogy
Tracing your family history remains as popular as ever, a fact best illustrated by the problems encountered by the Public Records Office when it posted the 1901 Census for England and Wales online in 2002.

The site crashed spectacularly, as some 1.2 million users an hour tried to access it on its launch. The problem, you'll be glad to hear, has since been rectified, and the 1901 Census is now viewable.

In addition to finding out about your family in 1901, there's an interesting feature for anyone who lives in houses built before 1901 - you can find out who lived in your home.

Two of the main genealogy sites are Genealogy.com and Ancestry.com both of which, while aimed at the US, are also relevant to UK researchers.

Also worth a look for more general information are The Genealogy Home Page and GENUKI UK & Ireland Genealogy.

Finally, for anyone looking for family records of different types, the governmental Family Records site is a great help if you are unsure where to start.

USEFUL SITES
Commonwealth War Graves Commission - www.cwgc.org
Includes the 'Debt of Honour' Register, which lists all British and Commonwealth fatalities for both World Wars, and where they are buried.

The World at War - http://worldatwar.net
Covers the period from 1919 to the Cold War.

Imperial War Museum - www.iwm.org.uk
The homepage of the Imperial War Museum, covering all its UK sites from Duxford to HMS Belfast.

The History Channel - www.historychannel.com
Website of the popular history TV channel.

When Britain Went to War - http://www .channel4.com/history
Loads of information on the Falklands Conflict of 1982.

Learning Curve - http://learningcurve.pro.gov.uk
Online resource for teachers, tied in with the UK's National Curriculum.