<s>
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
is	O
a	O
compilation	O
of	O
the	O
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
RPGs	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
sets	O
the	O
stage	O
for	O
the	O
next	O
two	O
games	O
and	O
follows	O
Arc	O
and	O
Kukuru	O
as	O
they	O
discover	O
a	O
plot	O
to	O
restore	O
the	O
Dark	O
One	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
II	I-Application
introduces	O
Elc	O
,	O
a	O
young	O
Hunter	O
that	O
becomes	O
tangled	O
in	O
the	O
plot	O
and	O
eventually	O
joins	O
the	O
battle	O
against	O
the	O
Dark	O
One	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
III	I-Application
features	O
Alec	O
,	O
a	O
young	O
Hunter	O
with	O
a	O
mysterious	O
past	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
II	I-Application
features	O
a	O
much	O
larger	O
and	O
less	O
linear	O
world	O
than	O
its	O
predecessor	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
brings	O
back	O
the	O
cast	O
of	O
the	B-Application
first	I-Application
game	I-Application
in	O
addition	O
to	O
featuring	O
a	O
new	O
group	O
of	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
III	I-Application
features	O
an	O
upgraded	O
graphics	O
system	O
,	O
replacing	O
the	O
sprite	O
backdrops	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
two	O
games	O
with	O
three-dimensional	O
backgrounds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
series	O
,	O
up	O
until	O
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
:	I-Application
End	I-Application
of	I-Application
Darkness	I-Application
,	O
uses	O
a	O
turn-based-strategy	O
battle	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Agility	O
can	O
increase	O
as	O
a	O
character	O
's	O
level	O
increases	O
,	O
can	O
be	O
altered	O
by	O
equipping	O
items	O
,	O
or	O
augmented	O
temporarily	O
with	O
spells	B-Application
and	O
items	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
can	O
be	O
increased	O
by	O
equipping	O
certain	O
items	O
and	O
can	O
be	O
decreased	O
by	O
using	O
spells	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spells	B-Application
and	O
items	O
can	O
also	O
augment	O
statistics	O
temporarily	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
battle	O
system	O
is	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
not	O
all	O
melee-based	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
character	O
has	O
a	O
plethora	O
of	O
abilities	O
available	O
,	O
ranging	O
from	O
magic	O
spells	B-Application
to	O
special	O
techniques	O
that	O
either	O
deal	O
damage	O
to	O
enemies	O
,	O
heal	O
ally	O
characters	O
,	O
or	O
augment	O
statistics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
abilities	O
are	O
selectable	O
though	O
the	O
ability	O
wheel	O
in	O
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
,	O
however	O
in	O
later	O
titles	O
,	O
a	O
list	O
interface	B-Application
was	O
created	O
for	O
easier	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
in	O
most	O
RPGs	O
,	O
abilities	O
and	O
spells	B-Application
require	O
MP	B-Application
to	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
the	O
character	O
does	O
not	O
have	O
enough	O
MP	B-Application
,	O
certain	O
techniques	O
become	O
unusable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
MP	B-Application
can	O
also	O
be	O
absorbed	O
,	O
restored	O
and	O
depleted	O
using	O
spells	B-Application
or	O
items	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
power	O
of	O
a	O
character	O
's	O
spell	B-Application
depends	O
on	O
a	O
character	O
's	O
magic	O
statistic	O
,	O
and	O
higher	O
experience	O
levels	O
increase	O
this	O
statistic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
magic	O
statistic	O
increases	O
so	O
will	O
the	O
effectiveness	O
of	O
characters	O
 '	O
spells	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Throughout	O
the	O
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
series	O
,	O
the	O
equipment	O
system	O
changes	O
from	O
its	O
very	O
simple	O
beginnings	O
to	O
a	O
full-blown	O
equipment	O
system	O
in	O
later	O
titles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
,	O
only	O
accessories	O
can	O
be	O
equipped	O
,	O
and	O
can	O
only	O
be	O
chosen	O
at	O
the	O
start	O
of	O
battle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
II	I-Application
boosts	O
the	O
gameplay	O
by	O
including	O
a	O
revamped	O
weapon	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
new	O
equipment	O
system	O
also	O
improves	O
the	O
battle	O
system	O
,	O
as	O
some	O
weapons	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
guns	O
and	O
spears	O
,	O
have	O
further	O
range	O
than	O
swords	O
and	O
other	O
short-range	O
melee	B-Application
weapons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lieza	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
principal	O
characters	O
in	O
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
can	O
also	O
tame	O
monsters	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
sometimes	O
use	O
human	O
equipment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
monsters	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
in	O
battle	O
as	O
well	O
,	O
as	O
party	O
selection	O
is	O
variable	O
in	O
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
characters	O
the	O
player	O
has	O
recruited	O
and	O
whether	O
certain	O
characters	O
are	O
usable	O
at	O
certain	O
times	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
similar	O
system	O
is	O
found	O
in	O
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
however	O
the	O
synthesis	O
guild	O
replaces	O
the	O
combination	O
shop	O
,	O
and	O
,	O
to	O
many	O
fans	O
,	O
the	O
synthesis	O
guild	O
is	O
far	O
more	O
in-depth	O
than	O
the	O
combination	O
shop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Recipes	O
must	O
be	O
found	O
by	O
the	O
players	O
,	O
unlike	O
in	O
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
II	I-Application
where	O
the	O
shop	O
would	O
tell	O
them	O
exactly	O
what	O
to	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
,	O
the	O
world	O
is	O
only	O
explored	O
in	O
a	O
limited	O
capacity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
contrast	O
,	O
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
II	I-Application
has	O
a	O
fully	O
explorable	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
III	I-Application
expands	O
even	O
farther	O
on	O
this	O
concept	O
and	O
every	O
place	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
explorable	O
on	O
foot	O
and	O
can	O
be	O
explored	O
during	O
normal	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2000	O
,	O
Working	O
Designs	O
hinted	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
be	O
localizing	B-General_Concept
all	O
three	O
of	O
the	O
Arc	O
games	O
for	O
a	O
North	O
American	O
release	O
in	O
a	O
bundle	O
called	O
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
18	O
,	O
2002	O
,	O
after	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
unmet	O
release	O
dates	O
,	O
the	O
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
collection	O
encompasses	O
six	O
discs	O
and	O
four	O
games	O
:	O
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
,	O
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
Arc	O
Arena	O
:	O
Monster	O
Tournament	O
,	O
and	O
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
III	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
collection	O
also	O
features	O
the	O
documentary	O
disc	O
Making	O
of	O
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
,	O
which	O
includes	O
exclusive	O
interviews	O
with	O
Victor	O
Ireland	O
,	O
the	O
president	O
of	O
Working	O
Designs	O
at	O
that	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Omake	O
Box	O
features	O
cardboard	O
miniature	O
standees	O
of	O
all	O
22	O
characters	O
,	O
four	O
analog	B-Device
stick	I-Device
covers	O
—	O
one	O
of	O
Arc	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
Elc	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
Alec	O
and	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
emblem	O
—	O
and	O
a	O
memory	B-Device
card	I-Device
case	O
featuring	O
Arc	O
's	O
face	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
garnered	O
positive	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
,	O
with	O
aggregate	O
scores	O
of	O
81%	O
on	O
GameRankings	O
and	O
78	O
out	O
of	O
100	O
on	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
David	O
Smith	O
of	O
IGN	O
gave	O
the	O
extras	O
included	O
with	O
the	O
games	O
"	O
two	O
thumbs	O
up	O
"	O
and	O
wrote	O
that	O
the	O
"	O
collection	O
does	O
a	O
particularly	O
good	O
job	O
of	O
accenting	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
more	O
unusual	O
aspects	O
of	O
Arc	B-Application
the	I-Application
Lad	I-Application
as	O
a	O
series	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
its	O
continuity.	O
"	O
</s>
