The best advise I heard with light twins is that the second engine gives you more options. With more options come more choices! With more choices the option to make the wrong choice.
Part of the bad safety record of light twins IMO is the training which instead of looking at all the options with the second engine concentrate on a climb and blue line.
That maybe the correct choice in some situations but not all. Fixating on blue line climbs is the reason many get into a mess.
Most twins do badly climbing on one engine especially hot and heavy but I perfectly happy in level flight.
I can remmeber many moons ago doing a totally stupid thing of shutting down a Seneca Engine in the cruise crossing the English channel on one, starting it up and landing in France.
Ok we were at 3000 feet but the aircraft does not know that it could equally be 300-400 feet.
Loose an engine at 400 feet ? Why climb? why not stabilize things in level cruise and then edge up fraction by fraction using the trim wheel.
Most airfields you can fly low level circuits.
If they are in mountainous regions chances are you will not climb out on one anyway.
Above all if its all going pear shaped keep the thing flying push the nose over and take to a field like a single.
Pace