I did mine in the minumum 5hrs and filled the last hour with doing instrument appraoches as a space filler. Went it with about 300hrs and around 100 on complex singles.
I learnt in a duchess which I still fly now and speeds were pretty much the same as the singles. The main skills were memorising the touch drills in response to engine failures etc. Flying the turbo Sennecca was the most interesting in remembering not to firewall the throttles on the take off roll.
Ther is nothing to flying a twin if your an average pilot. I have flown quite a few hundred hours in various twins since and a number of annual renewals which I combine with the IMC renewal without problems.
The main point is unless you are going to fly regularily then save your money. There is nothing more dangerous than being behind a twin when something goes wrong. I try to fly the twin at least every 2 weeks during the winter and in the summer I fly it all the time touring.
Comments about having an IMC are very valid. VFR only a twin is very limiting and that leads to a lack of currency that can leave you a long way behind the aircraft.