Review: World Game

Former Doctor Who script editor Terrance Dicks pens one of the final Past Doctor Adventures to be published by BBC Books, World Game. Featuring the Second Doctor, World Game is set in the theoretical 'Season 6B', after the Doctor's trial in The War Games but prior to his regeneration into Jon Pertwee. As such, the Doctor is joined by a one-off Time Lord companion, and is doing the bidding of Gallifrey's Celestial Intervention Agency.

In this instance, his mission is to prevent the shady Countess (who previously appeared in Dicks's Sixth Doctor novel Players) from attacking notable Earth figures such as Napoleon and Wellington in order to change history.

As is apparently customary with Dicks's writing, the book is loaded with references to Doctor Who continuity, such as the bewildering appearance of a Raston Warrior Robot, the Doctor pocketing a piece of psychic paper, and the story leading directly into the television episode The Two Doctors. With only a few exceptions, these references come across as superfluous and slightly irritating, seeming at times to have been forced into the plot at the expense of the story developing.

The temporary companion for the book, Lady Serena, is a charming enough character but one who suffers from underdevelopment. Agreeing to accompany the Doctor to aid her political ambitions, she is vastly more competent than him at controlling the TARDIS (a Type-97 loaned to the Doctor for the purposes of the mission), and shares several traits with the first incarnation of Romana. However, Dicks adapts her role from situation to situation at the expense of maintaining her fascinating character: she often falls into the trap of becoming a naive and submissive "assistant", asking questions and being in awe of the Doctor's ability, rather than becoming his equal.

The plot itself takes the format of a series of individual encounters with the Countess at different times and places, and the Doctor's attempts to stop her. Rather than being one long tale, World Game feels like a series of shorter "episodes", but occasionally they lack the punch and pace necessary to make an impact. Furthermore, the more contrived elements - such as the Countess blatantly hinting at details of her next plot, allowing the Doctor to step right in and stop her - are genuinely laughable.

However, the story manages to be suitably interesting and throughout, and some sections (the trip forward to see the future of France as devastated by the Countess, for example) are fantastically-written. Additionally, Dicks's characterisation of the Second Doctor is strong on the whole.

Over all, World Game suffers from being a little too continuity- and history-heavy, and from occasionally-awkward plotting. However, most fans of the Second Doctor's era will be satisfied, and the book is a decent read.