Two of the few major PlayStation RPGs that failed to reach U.S. shores were the Arc the Lad games. A victim of Sony's early anti-RPG policies, the series never surfaced in English, despite several rumors that suggested otherwise. At last, though, the whole series is coming to America, giving gamers everywhere cause to rejoice.

Exploring town

   Arc the Lad III picks up the plot several years after the world was almost destroyed in Arc 2. The heroes in this installment are three 14-year-olds: Alec, a boy out for adventure; Ruts, his best friend; and Cheryl, a mysterious girl. Eventually joining them will be Teo, a naive Cardist; Marsia, a determined magic student; as well as Velhart, a sword master and Sephiroth clone. As in Arc the Lad II, gamers can load their saved data from the previous game to give Arc and the other returning characters a boost.

Bridge battle

   Besides the change of heroes, Arc III also represents a shift to completely polygonal graphics -- the first two games used hand-drawn 2-D. CG movies have been added as well. However, the core gameplay -- a Shining Force-style mix of RPG exploration and strategy RPG combat -- should remain unchanged.

   As if all that wasn't enough, the title is finally being ported to the United States by Working Designs. Look for Arc the Lad III to appear this fall as part of the Arc the Lad collection, and get ready to play one of the most popular RPG series complete with a top-notch translation and lots of bonus goods.