Billed as a family-friendly puppetry piece, though with enough creepy creatures and blood-curdling effects to make this appeal to adult fans of mythology and epic poetry too, Atomic Force Productions and Barely Human Puppets' show is rightly now something of a staple at the Fringe.

Narrated from the pulpit once again by the talented Tom Dussek, star of the 2013 festival's memorable one-man show Doing What It Says On The Tin, this inventive production makes full use of the grand St Andrew's Church setting.

Craig Jordan-Barker's concise adaptation of the Old English poem about a Scandinavian warrior gaining glory in slaying monsters whilst falling into pride's trappings successfully strikes a fine balance between luvvie camp and clear storytelling verve, evoked ably by Dussek.

The stars of the show, though, are undeniably the cast of puppets. Lovingly crafted by Daisy Jordan and manipulated skilfully by puppeteers Annie Brooks and Ulysses Black, everyday items (ladder; carry-case; our versatile narrator) become a fantasy landscape, this mixture of sparse set and artful models (particularly the cat-like Grendel) juxtaposed deftly.

A brilliant score and sound design from Paul Mosley, creating everything from traditional folk music through to howling wolves and beyond, cements the real quality of an accomplished collaboration.

Four stars