diff --git a/compiler/src/prog8/ast/processing/AstChecker.kt b/compiler/src/prog8/ast/processing/AstChecker.kt
index 3eeef4c64..0c9a1d852 100644
--- a/compiler/src/prog8/ast/processing/AstChecker.kt
+++ b/compiler/src/prog8/ast/processing/AstChecker.kt
@@ -632,6 +632,14 @@ internal class AstChecker(private val program: Program,
             }
         }
 
+        // string assignment is not supported in a vard
+        if(decl.datatype==DataType.STR) {
+            if(decl.value==null)
+                err("string var must be initialized with a string literal")
+            if(decl.value !=null && decl.value !is StringLiteralValue)
+                err("string var can only be initialized with a string literal")
+        }
+
         super.visit(decl)
     }
 
diff --git a/examples/textelite.p8 b/examples/textelite.p8
index d5108b2a0..a197dcd30 100644
--- a/examples/textelite.p8
+++ b/examples/textelite.p8
@@ -152,8 +152,11 @@ goatsoup {
             else {
                 if c <= $a4 {
                     ubyte rnr = gen_rnd_number()
-                    ; TODO recursive call...
-                    ; soup(self.desc_list[ord(c) - 0x81][(rnr >= 0x33) + (rnr >= 0x66) + (rnr >= 0x99) + (rnr >= 0xCC)])
+                    ubyte wordNr = (rnr >= $33) + (rnr >= $66) + (rnr >= $99) + (rnr >= $CC)
+                    str source2
+                    source2 = getword(c, wordNr)        ; TODO good error message
+                    ; TODO recursive call...:
+                    ; print_soup(source2)
                 } else {
                     if c == $b0 {
                         txt.chrout(planet_name[0] | 32)