Android developer Yongzh has already distinguished himself with some excellent retro console emulators – Gensoid, Nesoid and SNESoid remain three of the most highly-rated apps currently available on the Android Market – but this latest release proves there’s even more to look forward to.

Gearoid allows you to play Sega Master System and Sega Game Gear titles on your phone. The appeal of this program will ultimately depend on where you are in the world; while Nintendo’s NES might have won the console war in other regions, here in the UK the Master System was undisputed 8-bit king.

Titles such as Wonderboy, Alex Kidd, Phantasy Star and Shinobi all appeared on this near-legendary games console and many of these hits were later ported to the Game Gear (which was technically very similar to the Master System).

The bonus of Game Gear support means you can play the myriad titles which were produced for Sega’s Game Boy rival; when the Master System died a death the company continued to support the Game Gear in the US and Japan, so it’s home to some unique Sonic games and much more besides.

The menu layout of Gearoid will be instantly familiar to anyone who has experienced Yongzh’s other emulators. Once you’ve selected where you intend to store your ROMs (basically cartridge games in digital form) they will be show as soon as you open up the app. Playing a game is merely a case of selecting it from the menu.

You can tinker with the various settings to get the retro experience you want. For example, you can choose to play the game at its original resolution, which results in a more authentic feel but also means you’ll be staring at a screen the size of a postage stamp. You can scale the view to fill your phone’s display but it’s worth noting that this not only causes a reduction in quality but also puts additional strain on your handset’s CPU.

Because the Master System is a fairly humble console when compared to the likes of the Mega Drive and SNES, Gearoid will run at almost full-speed on practically any Android handset. On the more recent devices – such as the Nexus One – it will run even smoother, although the overall performance is obviously dedicated by what other tasks your phone is performing at the same time.

Since we last covered Yongzh’s emulators he has made a raft of improvements which have been carried across to Gearoid, too. You can search for ROMs using an option which opens your phone’s browser (although it should be noted that this is legally questionable unless you happen to own the original game) and activate on-screen virtual controls, which means that phones without physical keyboards can finally get in on the action.

Just like Yongzh’s other releases, Gearoid is a near-essential download if you’re a keen gamer with an urge to delve into history and tackle some classics. The emulation isn’t quite 100% accurate yet, but the speed with which the developer releases updates – combined with his willingness to listen to new ideas – means that it shouldn’t be long before you can consign your trusty Master System to the loft.

Gearoid info

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Platform: Google Android

Cost: $1.99

Version:1.5.6

Developer: Yongzh

Website/Demo: N/A