The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien, Opera House, Manchester, Runs until Saturday - AFTER the Hollywood polish lavished on "The Lord of the Rings", this stage version relies on the imagination rather than special effects.

Adapting a Tolkien work for the stage is an ambitious undertaking and Vanessa Ford Productions achieves this with varying degrees of success.

Getting the right scenery to depict the lengthy journey of Bilbo Baggins and the dwarves through mountain ranges and along rivers as they head for the Lonely Mountain to snatch back treasure from Smaug the dragon is a difficult task.

The swivelling set achieves this fairly well, although the eventual meeting with the dragon and its slaying requires the audience to totally suspend disbelief.

A highlight is Bilbo's encounter with Gollum in the cave where he finds the one ring that is to feature so prominently in "The Lord of the Rings".

The cast put in an earnest effort and, although the acting is often overdone, this appears to be intentional and is in keeping with the humorous tone of this adaptation, complete with the rhymes and riddles and songs from the original book.

Children loved it, but old cynics like me are advised to wait until "The Two Towers" film comes out in December for their next Tolkien fix.