Dark moors, a devilish beast and the mother of all mysteries come together to creep out audiences for the Theatre Royal Windsor’s latest offering - the most well-known of all the Sherlock Holmes stories, The Hound of the Baskervilles.

This doggedly faithful adaptation of the 1902 classic from Arthur Conan Doyle has all the familiar elements, taking us from Sir Henry Baskerville’s initial visit to our favourite sleuth and his trusted companion at Baker Street, to the eerie landscape of Devonshire. The apparent other-worldly presence of a “gigantic hound”, scaring the locals and driving fear into even Dr Watson’s heart does not convince the world’s only consulting detective, and logic battles against superstition as the crime fighting duo endeavour to get to the heart of the mystery.

For anyone who has read the book, the story will be of no great surprise. It sticks closely to the original, recreating the sombre and bleak atmosphere of Conan Doyle’s words, and for the die-hard fan this is a real treat.

However, this reverence to its source material is both a positive and a slight hindrance to the proceedings. It was certainly enjoyable to see the dialogues between Holmes and his clients played out in a splendid and theatrical manner, though the almost verbatim transcripts from the book could have been more economical, given the atmosphere was marvellously generated by the music and lighting.

Theatre has the ability to show the audiences action and sometimes less is more, especially onstage. Certainly the second half picked up pace once the focus was on action rather than description.

The technicians and production designers should be highly praised for being able to recreate Baker Street, Baskerville House, the desolate moors many other settings with nothing more than sparse staging, a few props and some excellent illumination. The music was ideal, haunting and thrilling in equal measure, though a little loud at times, drowning out the actors.

The actors themselves should be admired and applauded, as all six performed with aplomb. Coronation Street’s Philip Lowrie leads the audience well throughout the tale in his role as Dr Watson, and while I don’t normally like to single out particular cast members and rather focus on the ensemble, I must disregard that rule on this occasion and make special mention of both Antony Stuart-Hicks for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes, and Tom Michael Blythe, whose energetic and chameleonic performance in a number of supporting roles delighted the audience throughout.

The overall presentation was more akin to the Basil Rathbone films rather than the recent Benedict Cumberbatch revisions, and while many reader may be less familiar with these versions, it was still a praiseworthy show, and certainly one for those who love a good thriller that tests the mind as well as the emotions.

APL Theatre’s adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles in on at the Theatre Royal Windsor until Saturday, April 22.