I think for an application basis, it would be better to use something like Blitz Basic... Well at least for Blitz Max on PC it is pretty decent.
My brother is an ex Amos programmer, and he decided to develop a "Bob" engine that you could make maps, sprites, etc. with. Yes, we all know in reality they are not bobs n such, but its a pretty good program he made.
Right now I convinced him to work on a Blaster Master clone and write our own story with it. So far we got the game engine wrote and plays exacly like the NES lol. :-)
Take care! And have fun with Amos.