A THEATRICAL institution, a byword for longevity, Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, running at Malvern Theatres until Saturday, certainly looks its age. But in a world hurtling towards a technological takeover, it's something of a comfort to spend a couple of hours in a world that's now vanished out of sight.

A classic country house mystery - five guests, four expected, one not, arrive at Monkswell House guesthouse while snow slowly but relentlessly cuts the residents off from the outside world.

So the scene is set and the cast is assembled - the opinionated and demanding Mrs Boyle, retired Major Metcalf, hyperactive Christopher Wren and mysterious Miss Casewell have all signed in as newly wed Mollie and Giles Ralston's first guests, joined at the last minute by the enigmatic Mr Paravicini, seeking shelter after his Rolls Royce overturns in the snow.

Meanwhile, 30 miles away in London a woman has been brutally murdered, but the murderer, a phone call reveals, is much closer to home... and as the curtain falls on the first act, he's claimed another victim. Mrs Boyle (something of a shame that Anne Kavanagh had to go, having played cantankerous joyfully to the hilt) lies dead on the floor of the Great Hall and the finger of suspicion seems to point at everyone.

The second act picks up the pace, with the recently arrived Sergeant Trotter swimming through a shoal of red herrings to get to the truth.

Clunky though it is in parts, The Mousetrap undeniably has a clever plot, nostalgic charm and an appealing dose of tongue-in-cheek humour. Delivered by a talented cast (Helen Clapp, Michael Fenner, Christopher Gilling, Luke Jenkins, Anne Kavanagh, Charlotte Latham, Henry Luxemburg and Stephen Yeo) who ensure that every character is well-defined and acting just suspiciously enough to give the audience room for doubt, it's easy to see why The Mousetrap continues to attract the record audiences that have made it the longest running show ever.

The Mousetrap runs at Malvern Theatres until Saturday. To book, call the box office on 01684 892277 or visit malvern-theatres.co.uk