I'd like to give it another try at some point, it was many years ago now and I'm sure improvements have been made.
Same goes to you my brutha, if you get stuck with MAME, holla. As an arcade snob, like yourself, I have no problem saying this: I love MAME

Perhaps our own @ekorz, fellow arcade snob and recent MAME power user, can chime in on based upon his experience.