Review by Frank Plowright

Magnus, Pickles, Tonka and Zoey are the DnDoggos, four dogs who relish role-playing games. Introduced by Scout Underhill in the good-natured Get the Party Started, it’s unlikely there’s a better primer for table-top role-playing aimed at young readers, yet it’s still a tricky set of concepts. However, most readers coming to Spells Like Trouble will surely have read the first book and now have a familiarity with Underhill’s process of switching between table top and fantasy world scenes in which the dogs are elaborately dressed.

With the basics explained in the previous book, for Spells Like Trouble Underhill builds on that by beginning with a more complex gaming session involving power-ups and reference books as the players move up a level. Any youngster who starts with this volume is going to find it takes some getting their head around.

As before, Underhill couples the discussions around the table with in-game adventure. The dogs begin the game still in Tail Bend, where they’re considered heroes for dealing with Maxilla last time, except she’s not quite as dealt with as they thought. In fact she’s escaped and has a new dastardly plan.

The big change this time is the addition of Fluffy the cat as a new player around halfway through. They’re very keen to try some spells. In theory this means the DnDoggos aren’t just restricted to armour and weapons, but Underhill makes clear that beginners with magic don’t suddenly command the world. There’s some clever building of a complete environment, with emphasis on necessities such as suitable clothing for the circumstances and not squandering acquired goods or points, but otherwise it’s as you were.

Underhill varies the conditions, but this is a second long trip to deal with Maxilla and the Fang Gang. It’s the journey that’s the pleasure, with the simple drawing building on the personalities and continual lessons learned. It’s fun and will surely have the intended effect of having youngsters enquiring about role playing.