Early last month we posted our exclusive preview of Manomio's much anticipated iAmiga emulation system that will shortly be used to bring a list of old school Amiga classics to the iPhone and iPad. In the time since that post, developer and CEO Stuart Carnie has provided us with a number of new builds of the iAmiga development test system which have each brought various fixes and improvements to the environment.

I wanted to list some of the changes that we've seen in these recent builds, for readers who are waiting anxiously for iAmiga to do its thing in the App Store.

• Basic iPad support now working (display appropriately scales to the device's screen)
• TV-out is now supported on Retina display devices and iPad. Hot plug / unplug handed gracefully.
• New mouse control system implemented � greatly enhances the feel of mouse-based titles (behaves nearly identically to a trackpad, now)
• CPU is more stable
  • Shadow of the Beast no longer crashes
  • IK+ no longer exhibits graphics glitches during intro
  • CPU tracing system implemented, able to generate gigabytes of log data for issue tracking, at need
• Audio now pauses properly when switching between Game / Settings tab (no looping)

Carnie has also shared with us a list of near-term "to do's" that we can look forward to, shortly:

• Finish integrating the CRT effects OpenGL ES engine (using GLSL shaders). List includes: No effect, 50% scanlines, aperture 1�2 RB and aperture 1�3 RB
• Aspect ratio selection (full screen, 4:3, whole pixel)
• Save / Resume support
• Defender of the Crown cabinet shell and graphics

It's been loads of fun testing out a slew of Amiga games on the iPhone with these new builds, and I can't wait for everyone out there to get the chance to enjoy so many Amiga classics, delivered through Manomio's emulation system. We'll bring more news from the studio as iAmiga development continues.

Last October we took a brief look at Pocket RPG, the upcoming title being developed by Tasty Poison Games and published by Crescent Moon Games. Pocket RPG is a dual-stick dungeon crawler with a focus on shorter play sessions and randomized games. There are 3 different character classes to play as, each with upgradeable items and abilities, and there will be a ton of loot to collect in the game.

Tasty Poison has been hinting at having a gameplay video for months, and at long last they have given TouchArcade an exclusive first look at Pocket RPG in action. This video shows each of the character classes in the game � the Dark Ranger who can fire projectiles, the Blade Master who is melee-focused, and the Battle Mage who wields magical abilities.

And here are a couple of screenshots from the game that have been posted in our forums over the past month or so:

Pocket RPG is looking gorgeous so far, and I'm really excited to check it out. Tasty Poison and Crescent Moon are shooting to have the game out in February on the iPad, with a universal update planned that will make it compatible with 4th�generation devices. After this, they hope to optimize the game for older devices if possible, but are focused on playing to the strengths of newer devices for the initial release.

There's an upcoming thread in our forums where members are discussing the game and the developers are popping in with additional bits of information as well. We're anxious to get our hands on the game, and we'll bring you more of Pocket RPG as it gets closer to release, hopefully next month.

Children of the 80s arcade era get ready, the classic laserdisc arcade game Road Blaster [99�] has hit the App Store. Developer Revolutionary Concepts, who have experience bringing classic arcade titles to iOS with the likes of Cobra Command [$1.99] and Karate Champ [$1.99/Lite/HD], have given this iteration of Road Blaster a shiny new makeover from its 1985 arcade counterpart. It features remastered FMV sequences that are optimized for Retina Displays, a choice of two different redrawn in-game dashboard consoles, a new soundtrack and plenty of new sound effects, and optimizations over the original.

Road Blaster follows a campy story of revenge (not totally unlike many action movies from the 80s) where you are out to get justice against an evil biker gang who murdered your wife. You'll hop into your modified sports car and go after these heartless thugs across 9 different levels, with the option of 3 difficulty settings. Operate your vehicle using a virtual steering wheel or the brand new tilt controls. Here's a video showing Road Blaster being played on an iPhone:

An iPad version of Road Blaster is also in the works, although a firm release date hasn't been set yet. Owners of older devices should know that the developers have optimized the game to run well across all models of iPhone and iPod touch. Also, Game Center is integrated for leaderboard and achievement tracking. As a special promotion, Road Blaster is launching at just 99� for the first week. Impressions are rolling into our forums, and we'll take a closer look at this title after we've had a chance to pump some quarters into it.