diff --git a/src/NQP/Actions.pm b/src/NQP/Actions.pm
index 055fec2..e977163 100644
--- a/src/NQP/Actions.pm
+++ b/src/NQP/Actions.pm
@@ -207,7 +207,15 @@ method variable($/) {
         $past.unshift( PAST::Var.new( :name('$/') ) );
     }
     else {
-        $past := PAST::Var.new( :name(~$/) );
+        my @name := NQP::Compiler.parse_name(~$/);
+        $past := PAST::Var.new( :name(~@name.pop) );
+        if (@name) {
+            if @name[0] eq 'GLOBAL' { @name.shift; }
+            $past.namespace(@name);
+            $past.scope('package');
+            $past.viviself( sigiltype( $<sigil> ) );
+            $past.lvalue(1);
+        }
         if $<twigil>[0] eq '*' {
             $past.scope('contextual');
             $past.viviself( PAST::Op.new( 'Contextual ' ~ ~$/ ~ ' not found',
diff --git a/src/NQP/Compiler.pir b/src/NQP/Compiler.pir
index cae8b9a..11aa7f4 100644
--- a/src/NQP/Compiler.pir
+++ b/src/NQP/Compiler.pir
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ NQP::Compiler - NQP compiler
 .sub '' :anon :load :init
     .local pmc p6meta, nqpproto
     p6meta = get_hll_global 'P6metaclass'
-    nqpproto = p6meta.'new_class'('Regex::P6Grammar::Compiler', 'parent'=>'HLL::Compiler')
+    nqpproto = p6meta.'new_class'('NQP::Compiler', 'parent'=>'HLL::Compiler')
     nqpproto.'language'('NQP-rx')
     $P0 = get_hll_global ['NQP'], 'Grammar'
     nqpproto.'parsegrammar'($P0)
diff --git a/src/NQP/Grammar.pm b/src/NQP/Grammar.pm
index 84707a1..823d4e1 100644
--- a/src/NQP/Grammar.pm
+++ b/src/NQP/Grammar.pm
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ token colonpair {
 }
 
 token variable {
-    | <sigil> <twigil>? <desigilname=.ident>
+    | <sigil> <twigil>? <desigilname=.name>
     | <sigil> <?[<[]> <postcircumfix>
     | $<sigil>=['$'] $<desigilname>=[<[/_!]>]
 }
diff --git a/src/cheats/hll-compiler.pir b/src/cheats/hll-compiler.pir
index 792b29f..85789de 100644
--- a/src/cheats/hll-compiler.pir
+++ b/src/cheats/hll-compiler.pir
@@ -75,3 +75,39 @@
     .return ($S0)
 .end
 
+
+.sub 'parse_name' :method
+    .param string name
+
+    # split name on ::
+    .local pmc ns
+    ns = split '::', name
+
+    # move any leading sigil to the last item
+    .local string sigil
+    $S0 = ns[0]
+    sigil = substr $S0, 0, 1
+    $I0 = index '$@%&', sigil
+    if $I0 < 0 goto sigil_done
+    substr $S0, 0, 1, ''
+    ns[0] = $S0
+    $S0 = ns[-1]
+    $S0 = concat sigil, $S0
+    ns[-1] = $S0
+  sigil_done:
+
+    # remove any empty items from the list
+    .local pmc ns_it
+    ns_it = iter ns
+    ns = new ['ResizablePMCArray']
+  ns_loop:
+    unless ns_it goto ns_done
+    $S0 = shift ns_it
+    unless $S0 > '' goto ns_loop
+    push ns, $S0
+    goto ns_loop
+  ns_done:
+
+    # return the result
+    .return (ns)
+.end
diff --git a/t/nqp/43-package-var.t b/t/nqp/43-package-var.t
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6ce5281
--- /dev/null
+++ b/t/nqp/43-package-var.t
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+#! nqp.pbc
+
+# Accessing package variables directly
+
+plan(3);
+
+our $var;
+
+$GLOBAL::var := 1;
+$ABC::def := 2;
+@XYZ::ghi[0] := 3;
+
+ok( $var == 1, '$GLOBAL::var works');
+
+
+module ABC {
+    our $def;
+    ok( $def == 2, '$ABC::def works');
+}
+
+module XYZ {
+    our @ghi;
+    ok( @ghi[0] == 3, '@XYZ::ghi works');
+}