Working Designs did RPG (role playing game) enthusiasts a favor when they provided the “Arc the Lad Collection” in one set. It contains four games on five CDs: “Arc 1, Arc 2, Arc 3 and Arc Arena. They also include a documentary CD titled “The Making of Arc the Lad Collection.” Lumping so much material together eliminates the need for consumers to spend hours hunting for games sold separately because they’re in one package.

The Arc the Lad universe is immense and comprehensive. With over 100 hours of gameplay spread over four CDs, the storyline is epic, which should excite most hardcore-RPG fans. Individually, the Arc games don’t really convey a grand scope. Collectively, they comprise a massive tapestry of plot and drama. Arc 1, which is extremely short, merely introduces the story of Arc 2, which Arc 3 expands upon. This provides a rewarding sense of continuity.

Unlike other RPGs, like the Final Fantasy series, Arc the Lad games exist in the same world and feature some of the same characters. If you saved your completed game from Arc 1, you can load it into Arc 2 and use the same old characters at certain points in the newer game. It works the same way from Arc 2 to Arc 3. The games all contain excellent orchestral musical scores, which is rare in a video game.

Arc 1 and 2 resemble 16-bit games of old, which is probably fine for serious RPG players who value story and character more than eye candy. That’s good for them, because, by today’s standards, Arc 1 and 2 look plain. The games are fun, but, unfortunately, they feature the same overdone plot devices like evil empires and people who can’t remember their pasts. Arc 1 is extremely simple and lasts for about 10 hours if you don’t mess around too much. It’s more a game for RPG beginners because there’s not much to do and no real exploration is involved. Arc 2 has more depth and most people would agree that it’s the first real RPG in the series. It’s longer, less linear and has more characters and a deeper plot.

Arc 3 ditches the 16-bit graphics of old for a look that’s more PlayStation than Super Nintendo. The game features impressive FMV (full motion video) sequences, and players walk and fight on 3D backgrounds. The 32 bit sprites look fantastic compared with the ones in previous Arc games, but they’re still super-deformed. Arc 3 makes them a little taller, but they’re still vertically challenged. The Arc the Lad Collection isn’t for the RPG player who’s tired of the genre’s traditional shrunken heroes.

Each game basically uses the same combat system, tweaked from game to game, but constant overall. Characters wage war by taking turns moving around strategically on a grid-like battlefield. Many players will find this fighting method reminiscent of the one used in the old Shining Force games for the Sega Genesis console.

For some behind the scenes action, players can watch “The Making of Arc the Lad Collection,” which features commentary and footage from the people who created and marketed the Arc the Lad Collection. Writers, programmers, graphic designers and others shed light on their experiences. The way they talk about Arc the Lad reveals their passion for the game and characters, yet their feelings seem a bit comical at times. After all, it is just a video game. One guy describes scenes from the game the same way most of us describe scenes from movies and television shows.Arc Arena is the only game in the Arc the Lad Collection that isn’t part of the trilogy. It’s a Pokemon-type game where you pit monsters against each other in an arena. You can either load monsters you’ve captured from other Arc games, or begin with your very own stable. It’s pretty blase and uneventful, but on the documentary disc, one of the writer’s claims that Arc Arena was all the rage in Japan.

For about $75, you can purchase the Arc the Lad Collection in all of it’s glory; a decent bargain for six CDs and about a week’s worth of gameplay, not including the extra half hour of documentary stuff.