diff --git a/compiler/src/prog8/optimizer/StatementOptimizer.kt b/compiler/src/prog8/optimizer/StatementOptimizer.kt
index 413b6e2fd..41355daa8 100644
--- a/compiler/src/prog8/optimizer/StatementOptimizer.kt
+++ b/compiler/src/prog8/optimizer/StatementOptimizer.kt
@@ -39,6 +39,41 @@ internal class StatementOptimizer(private val program: Program,
         return noModifications
     }
 
+    override fun before(functionCall: FunctionCall, parent: Node): Iterable<IAstModification> {
+        // if the first instruction in the called subroutine is a return statement with a simple value,
+        // remove the jump altogeter and inline the returnvalue directly.
+        val subroutine = functionCall.target.targetSubroutine(program)
+        if(subroutine!=null) {
+            val first = subroutine.statements.asSequence().filterNot { it is VarDecl || it is Directive }.firstOrNull()
+            if(first is Return && first.value?.isSimple==true) {
+                val orig = first.value!!
+                val copy = when(orig) {
+                    is AddressOf -> {
+                        val scoped = scopePrefix(orig.identifier, subroutine)
+                        AddressOf(scoped, orig.position)
+                    }
+                    is DirectMemoryRead -> {
+                        when(val expr = orig.addressExpression) {
+                            is NumericLiteralValue -> DirectMemoryRead(expr.copy(), orig.position)
+                            else -> return noModifications
+                        }
+                    }
+                    is IdentifierReference -> scopePrefix(orig, subroutine)
+                    is NumericLiteralValue -> orig.copy()
+                    is StringLiteralValue -> orig.copy()
+                    else -> return noModifications
+                }
+                return listOf(IAstModification.ReplaceNode(functionCall, copy, parent))
+            }
+        }
+        return noModifications
+    }
+
+    private fun scopePrefix(variable: IdentifierReference, subroutine: Subroutine): IdentifierReference {
+        val scoped = subroutine.makeScopedName(variable.nameInSource.last())
+        return IdentifierReference(scoped.split('.'), variable.position)
+    }
+
     override fun after(functionCallStatement: FunctionCallStatement, parent: Node): Iterable<IAstModification> {
         if(functionCallStatement.target.nameInSource.size==1 && functionCallStatement.target.nameInSource[0] in functions.names) {
             val functionName = functionCallStatement.target.nameInSource[0]
@@ -101,19 +136,19 @@ internal class StatementOptimizer(private val program: Program,
         return noModifications
     }
 
-    override fun before(functionCall: FunctionCall, parent: Node): Iterable<IAstModification> {
-        // if the first instruction in the called subroutine is a return statement with constant value, replace with the constant value
-        val subroutine = functionCall.target.targetSubroutine(program)
-        if(subroutine!=null) {
-            val first = subroutine.statements.asSequence().filterNot { it is VarDecl || it is Directive }.firstOrNull()
-            if(first is Return && first.value!=null) {
-                val constval = first.value?.constValue(program)
-                if(constval!=null)
-                    return listOf(IAstModification.ReplaceNode(functionCall, constval, parent))
-            }
-        }
-        return noModifications
-    }
+//    override fun before(functionCall: FunctionCall, parent: Node): Iterable<IAstModification> {
+//        // if the first instruction in the called subroutine is a return statement with constant value, replace with the constant value
+//        val subroutine = functionCall.target.targetSubroutine(program)
+//        if(subroutine!=null) {
+//            val first = subroutine.statements.asSequence().filterNot { it is VarDecl || it is Directive }.firstOrNull()
+//            if(first is Return && first.value!=null) {
+//                val constval = first.value?.constValue(program)
+//                if(constval!=null)
+//                    return listOf(IAstModification.ReplaceNode(functionCall, constval, parent))
+//            }
+//        }
+//        return noModifications
+//    }
 
     override fun after(ifStatement: IfStatement, parent: Node): Iterable<IAstModification> {
         // remove empty if statements
diff --git a/compilerAst/src/prog8/ast/expressions/AstExpressions.kt b/compilerAst/src/prog8/ast/expressions/AstExpressions.kt
index e4ea9097a..1d6d721c2 100644
--- a/compilerAst/src/prog8/ast/expressions/AstExpressions.kt
+++ b/compilerAst/src/prog8/ast/expressions/AstExpressions.kt
@@ -348,7 +348,7 @@ class DirectMemoryRead(var addressExpression: Expression, override val position:
         this.addressExpression.linkParents(this)
     }
 
-    override val isSimple = true
+    override val isSimple = addressExpression is NumericLiteralValue || addressExpression is IdentifierReference
 
     override fun replaceChildNode(node: Node, replacement: Node) {
         require(replacement is Expression && node===addressExpression)
@@ -366,8 +366,6 @@ class DirectMemoryRead(var addressExpression: Expression, override val position:
     override fun toString(): String {
         return "DirectMemoryRead($addressExpression)"
     }
-
-    fun copy() =  DirectMemoryRead(addressExpression, position)
 }
 
 class NumericLiteralValue(val type: DataType,    // only numerical types allowed
@@ -376,6 +374,7 @@ class NumericLiteralValue(val type: DataType,    // only numerical types allowed
     override lateinit var parent: Node
 
     override val isSimple = true
+    fun copy() = NumericLiteralValue(type, number, position)
 
     companion object {
         fun fromBoolean(bool: Boolean, position: Position) =
@@ -509,6 +508,7 @@ class StringLiteralValue(val value: String,
     }
 
     override val isSimple = true
+    fun copy() = StringLiteralValue(value, altEncoding, position)
 
     override fun replaceChildNode(node: Node, replacement: Node) {
         throw FatalAstException("can't replace here")
diff --git a/examples/test.p8 b/examples/test.p8
index 75adb566b..0475e7eeb 100644
--- a/examples/test.p8
+++ b/examples/test.p8
@@ -1,12 +1,70 @@
-%import palette
-%import test_stack
-%zeropage basicsafe
+%import textio
+%zeropage dontuse
 
 main {
 
     sub start() {
-        ; TODO inline a subroutine that only contains a direct call to another subroutine
-        palette.set_all_black()
-        palette.set_all_white()
+        uword v
+        v = test.get_value1()
+        txt.print_uw(v)
+        txt.nl()
+        v = test.get_value2()
+        txt.print_uw(v)
+        txt.nl()
+        v = test.get_value3()
+        txt.print_uw(v)
+        txt.nl()
+        v = test.get_value4()
+        txt.print_uw(v)
+        v = test.get_value4()
+        txt.print_uw(v)
+        v = test.get_value4()
+        txt.print_uw(v)
+        v = test.get_value4()
+        txt.print_uw(v)
+        v = test.get_value4()
+        txt.print_uw(v)
+        v = test.get_value4()
+        txt.print_uw(v)
+        v = test.get_value4()
+        txt.print_uw(v)
+        v = test.get_value4()
+        txt.print_uw(v)
+        v = test.get_value4()
+        txt.print_uw(v)
+        v = test.get_value4()
+        txt.print_uw(v)
+        txt.nl()
+        v = test.get_value5()
+        txt.print_uw(v)
+        txt.nl()
+        v = test.get_value6()
+        txt.print_uw(v)
+        txt.nl()
+    }
+}
+
+
+test {
+    uword[] arr = [1111,2222,3333]
+    uword value = 9999
+
+    sub get_value1() -> uword {
+        return &value
+    }
+    sub get_value2() -> uword {
+        return arr[2]
+    }
+    sub get_value3() -> ubyte {
+        return @($c000)
+    }
+    sub get_value4() -> uword {
+        return value
+    }
+    sub get_value5() -> uword {
+        return $c000
+    }
+    sub get_value6() -> uword {
+        return "string"
     }
 }