diff --git a/rules/src/main/java/ch/maxant/rules/Engine.java b/rules/src/main/java/ch/maxant/rules/Engine.java
index d7dd827..9fdc517 100644
--- a/rules/src/main/java/ch/maxant/rules/Engine.java
+++ b/rules/src/main/java/ch/maxant/rules/Engine.java
@@ -116,7 +116,8 @@ public class Engine {
 
 	protected final boolean throwExceptionIfCompilationFails;
 	protected final String inputName;
-	
+	protected final Map<String,Object> varBindings;
+    
 	//reserved for subclasses and not used in this class - yuck, but hey.
 	protected final String[] javascriptFilesToLoad;
 	protected final Integer poolSize;
@@ -140,6 +141,7 @@ public Engine(final Collection<Rule> rules, String inputName, boolean throwExcep
 		this(rules, inputName, throwExceptionIfCompilationFails, null, null, new HashMap<String, Object>());
 	}
 
+
     /**
 	 * See {@link #Engine(Collection, String, boolean, Map)}
      */
@@ -165,13 +167,14 @@ public Engine(final Collection<Rule> rules, String inputName, boolean throwExcep
 
 	protected Engine(final Collection<Rule> rules, String inputName, boolean throwExceptionIfCompilationFails, Integer poolSize, String[] javascriptFilesToLoad, Map<String, Object > statics) throws DuplicateNameException, CompileException, ParseException {
 		this.inputName = inputName;
+		this.varBindings = varBindings;
 		this.throwExceptionIfCompilationFails = throwExceptionIfCompilationFails;
 		this.javascriptFilesToLoad = javascriptFilesToLoad;
 		this.poolSize = poolSize;
 		this.statics = statics;
 		init(rules);
 	}
-	
+    
 	/** handles the initialisation */
 	protected void init(Collection<Rule> rules) throws DuplicateNameException, CompileException, ParseException {
 		log.info("\r\n\r\n*****Initialising rule engine...*****");
@@ -441,6 +444,7 @@ public <Input> List<Rule> getMatchingRules(String nameSpacePattern, Input input)
 		}
 		
 		Map<String, Object> vars = new HashMap<String, Object>(statics); // initialise with static stuff
+
 		vars.put(inputName, input);
 
 		List<Rule> matchingRules = new ArrayList<Rule>();
@@ -485,4 +489,4 @@ private Rule getRule() {
 
 }
 
-		
\ No newline at end of file
+		
diff --git a/rules/src/main/java/ch/maxant/rules/JavascriptEngine.java b/rules/src/main/java/ch/maxant/rules/JavascriptEngine.java
index a6b9cc8..a4cf30b 100644
--- a/rules/src/main/java/ch/maxant/rules/JavascriptEngine.java
+++ b/rules/src/main/java/ch/maxant/rules/JavascriptEngine.java
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ public JavascriptEngine(final Collection<Rule> rules, String inputName, boolean
 			}
 		}
 	}
-	
+
 	/**
 	 * Subclasses may override this. But the default will create a config which sets up the 
 	 * pool using the size passed into the constructor, otherwise accessible as 
diff --git a/rules/src/test/java/ch/maxant/rules/blackbox/AbstractEngineTest.java b/rules/src/test/java/ch/maxant/rules/blackbox/AbstractEngineTest.java
index de09a2e..c1b3a2e 100644
--- a/rules/src/test/java/ch/maxant/rules/blackbox/AbstractEngineTest.java
+++ b/rules/src/test/java/ch/maxant/rules/blackbox/AbstractEngineTest.java
@@ -48,6 +48,8 @@
 public abstract class AbstractEngineTest {
 
 	public abstract Engine getEngine(List<Rule> rules, boolean throwExceptionIfCompilationFails) throws DuplicateNameException, CompileException, ParseException, ScriptException, IOException;
+        
+	public abstract Engine getEngine(List<Rule> rules, String inputName, Map<String,Object> varBindings, boolean throwExceptionIfCompilationFails) throws DuplicateNameException, CompileException, ParseException, ScriptException, IOException;
 
 	protected abstract boolean isJavascriptTest();
 
diff --git a/rules/src/test/java/ch/maxant/rules/blackbox/DefaultEngineTest.java b/rules/src/test/java/ch/maxant/rules/blackbox/DefaultEngineTest.java
index ddeb6ac..db55d2c 100644
--- a/rules/src/test/java/ch/maxant/rules/blackbox/DefaultEngineTest.java
+++ b/rules/src/test/java/ch/maxant/rules/blackbox/DefaultEngineTest.java
@@ -39,6 +39,11 @@ public class DefaultEngineTest extends AbstractEngineTest {
 	public Engine getEngine(List<Rule> rules, boolean throwExceptionIfCompilationFails) throws DuplicateNameException, CompileException, ParseException {
 		return new Engine(rules, throwExceptionIfCompilationFails);
 	}
+        
+	@Override
+	public Engine getEngine(List<Rule> rules, String inputName, Map<String,Object> varBindings, boolean throwExceptionIfCompilationFails) throws DuplicateNameException, CompileException, ParseException {
+		return new Engine(rules, inputName, varBindings, throwExceptionIfCompilationFails);
+	}
 
 	@Override
 	protected boolean isJavascriptTest() {
diff --git a/rules/src/test/java/ch/maxant/rules/blackbox/JavascriptEngineTest.java b/rules/src/test/java/ch/maxant/rules/blackbox/JavascriptEngineTest.java
index 22ea4d8..58c69a3 100644
--- a/rules/src/test/java/ch/maxant/rules/blackbox/JavascriptEngineTest.java
+++ b/rules/src/test/java/ch/maxant/rules/blackbox/JavascriptEngineTest.java
@@ -39,6 +39,12 @@ public Engine getEngine(List<Rule> rules, boolean throwExceptionIfCompilationFai
 		return new JavascriptEngine(rules, throwExceptionIfCompilationFails);
 	}
 	
+	@Override
+	public Engine getEngine(List<Rule> rules, String inputName, Map<String,Object> varBindings, boolean throwExceptionIfCompilationFails)
+                	throws DuplicateNameException, CompileException, ParseException, ScriptException, IOException {
+		return new JavascriptEngine(rules, inputName, varBindings, throwExceptionIfCompilationFails);
+	}
+	        
 	@Override
 	protected boolean isJavascriptTest() {
 		return true;