I used Powerpoint for arrows etc:
- Ctrl+Alt+PrtScr -> Paint
- Paint (copy the part you wish to work with) -> Powerpoint (paste)
- Edit in Powerpoint (arrows, text boxes, etc), then (copy) -> Paint
- Save as jpeg -> upload to Photobucket
So in fact I did not use Paint for anything else but choosing the part of printscreen I wanted to work with.
Powerpoint had some quite nice tools such as Automatic shapes - Text box tools (I have a Finnish UI so I do not know what they are called in your case... I am referring to tools in the low left hand corner). Also the curved arrow is from there.
Regarding your DAR, no tool can help coming up with such a good narrative?