In his first volume of autobiography, A Postillion Struck by Lightning, Dirk Bogarde described his childhood and early experiences on the stage. In Snakes and Ladders, he continues his memoirs, from the trials of an army training camp at Catterick to the greatest challenge of his film career - the role of von Aschenbach in Death in Venice.<BR>Challenges were a constant feature in Dirk Bogard's life, some brought by chance, some self-imposed. This second volume charts the ups and downs Bogarde experienced on the way to becoming one of the finest cinema actors of our time. It is also about the people - family and friends, actors and actresses, directors and producers - who helped him in this precarious game of 'snakes and ladders'.