diff --git a/src/base/criteria.lua b/src/base/criteria.lua
index c5fe8557..fffde97e 100644
--- a/src/base/criteria.lua
+++ b/src/base/criteria.lua
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 -- Copyright (c) 2012-2014 Jason Perkins and the Premake project
 --
 
-	premake.criteria = {}
+	premake.criteria = criteria
 	local criteria = premake.criteria
 
 
@@ -43,15 +43,18 @@
 			end
 
 			local parts = path.wildcards(term)
+			local isWildcard = (parts ~= term)
 			parts = parts:explode(" or ")
 
 			for i, part in ipairs(parts) do
 				if part:startswith("not ") then
 					table.insert(pattern, "not")
-					table.insert(pattern, part:sub(5))
-				else
-					table.insert(pattern, part)
+					part = part:sub(5)
 				end
+				if isWildcard then
+					table.insert(pattern, "%%")
+				end
+				table.insert(pattern, part)
 			end
 
 			table.insert(patterns, pattern)
@@ -62,101 +65,3 @@
 		crit.patterns = patterns
 		return crit
 	end
-
-
----
--- Determine if this criteria is met by the provided list of context terms.
---
--- @param crit
---    The criteria to be tested.
--- @param context
---    The list of context terms to test against, provided as a list of
---    lowercase strings.
--- @return
---    True if all criteria are satisfied by the context.
----
-
-	function criteria.matches(crit, context)
-		-- If the context specifies a filename, I should only match against
-		-- blocks targeted at that file specifically. This way, files only
-		-- pick up the settings that a different from the main project.
-		local filename = context.files
-		local filematched = false
-
-		-- Test one value from the context against a part of a pattern
-		function testValue(value, part)
-			if type(value) == "table" then
-				for i = 1, #value do
-					if testValue(value[i], part) then
-						return true
-					end
-				end
-			else
-				if value and value:match(part) == value then
-					return true;
-				end
-			end
-			return false
-		end
-
-		-- Test one part of one pattern against the provided context
-		function testContext(prefix, part, assertion)
-			if prefix then
-				local result = testValue(context[prefix], part)
-				if prefix == "files" and result == assertion then
-					filematched = true
-				end
-				if result then
-					return assertion
-				end
-			else
-				if filename and assertion and filename:match(part) == filename then
-					filematched = true
-					return assertion
-				end
-
-				for prefix, value in pairs(context) do
-					if testValue(value, part) then
-						return assertion
-					end
-				end
-			end
-
-			return not assertion
-		end
-
-		-- Test an individual pattern in this criteria's list of patterns
-		function testPattern(pattern)
-			local n = #pattern
-			local assertion = true
-
-			for i = 1, n do
-				local part = pattern[i]
-				if part == "not" then
-					assertion = false
-				else
-					if testContext(pattern.prefix, part, assertion) then
-						return true
-					end
-					assertion = true
-				end
-			end
-		end
-
-		-- Iterate the list of patterns and test each in turn
-		local n = #crit.patterns
-		for i = 1, n do
-			local pattern = crit.patterns[i]
-			if not testPattern(pattern) then
-				return false
-			end
-		end
-
-		if filename and not filematched then
-			return false
-		end
-
-		return true
-	end
-
-
diff --git a/src/host/criteria_matches.c b/src/host/criteria_matches.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..40d010db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/host/criteria_matches.c
@@ -0,0 +1,283 @@
+/**
+ * \file   criteria_matches.c
+ * \brief  Determine if this criteria is met by the provided filter terms.
+ * \author Copyright (c) 2002-2013 Jason Perkins and the Premake project
+ */
+
+#include "premake.h"
+#include <string.h>
+
+
+/*
+ * return value:match(pattern) == value
+ */
+static int match(lua_State* L, const char* value, const char* pattern, int wildcard)
+{
+	if (wildcard) {
+		const char* result;
+		int matched = 0;
+
+		int top = lua_gettop(L);
+
+		lua_pushvalue(L, 4);
+		lua_pushstring(L, value);
+		lua_pushstring(L, pattern);
+		lua_call(L, 2, 1);
+
+		if (lua_isstring(L, -1)) {
+			result = lua_tostring(L, -1);
+			matched = (strcmp(value, result) == 0);
+		}
+
+		lua_settop(L, top);
+		return matched;
+	}
+	else {
+		return (strcmp(value, pattern) == 0);
+	}
+}
+
+
+/*
+ * Compares the value on the top of the stack to the provided
+ * part, which is a Lua pattern string.
+ */
+static int testValue(lua_State* L, const char* part, const int wildcard)
+{
+	const char* value;
+	size_t i, n;
+	int result;
+
+	/*
+		if type(value) == "table" then
+			for i = 1, #value do
+				if testValue(value[i], part) then
+					return true
+				end
+			end
+		else
+			if value and value:match(part) == value then
+				return true;
+			end
+		end
+	*/
+
+	if (lua_istable(L, -1)) {
+		n = lua_objlen(L, -1);
+		for (i = 1; i <= n; ++i) {
+			lua_rawgeti(L, -1, i);
+			result = testValue(L, part, wildcard);
+			lua_pop(L, 1);
+			if (result) {
+				return 1;
+			}
+		}
+		return 0;
+	}
+
+	value = lua_tostring(L, -1);
+	if (value && match(L, value, part, wildcard)) {
+		return 1;
+	}
+
+	return 0;
+}
+
+
+/*
+ * The context is a set of key-value pairs, something like:
+ *   {
+ *     action = "vs2010",
+ *     configurations = "Debug",
+ *     system = "windows",
+ *     files = "/absolute/path/to/hello.cpp",
+ *     -- and so on...
+ *   }
+ */
+static int testContext(lua_State* L, const char* prefix, const char* part,
+                       const int assertion, const int wildcard,
+                       const char* filename, int* fileMatched)
+{
+	/*
+		if prefix then
+			local result = testValue(context[prefix], part, wildcard)
+			if result == assertion and prefix == "files" then
+				filematched = true
+			end
+			if result then
+				return assertion
+			end
+		else
+			if filename and assertion and filename:match(part) == filename then
+				filematched = true
+				return assertion
+			end
+
+			for prefix, value in pairs(context) do
+				if testValue(value, part, wildcard) then
+					return assertion
+				end
+			end
+		end
+	*/
+
+	int result;
+	if (prefix) {
+		lua_getfield(L, 2, prefix);
+		result = testValue(L, part, wildcard);
+		lua_pop(L, 1);
+		if (result == assertion && strcmp(prefix, "files") == 0) {
+			(*fileMatched) = 1;
+		}
+		if (result) {
+			return assertion;
+		}
+	}
+	else {
+		if (filename && assertion && match(L, filename, part, wildcard)) {
+			(*fileMatched) = 1;
+			return assertion;
+		}
+
+		lua_pushnil(L);
+		while (lua_next(L, 2)) {
+			if (testValue(L, part, wildcard)) {
+				lua_pop(L, 2);
+				return assertion;
+			}
+			lua_pop(L, 1);
+		}
+	}
+
+	return (!assertion);
+}
+
+
+
+/*
+ * Patterns are represented as an array of string values.
+ *   "windows" = { "windows" }
+ *   "not windows" = { "not", "windows" }
+ *   "windows or linux" = { "windows", "linux" }
+ *
+ * If the patterns is targeted at a specific prefix, that is stored
+ * as a keyed value.
+ *
+ *   "files:**.c"  = { prefix="files", "**.c" }
+ */
+static int testPattern(lua_State* L, const char* filename, int* fileMatched)
+{
+	const char* prefix;
+	const char* part;
+	size_t i, n;
+	int assertion = 1;
+	int wildcard = 0;
+	int result = 0;
+
+	/* prefix = pattern.prefix */
+	lua_getfield(L, -1, "prefix");
+	prefix = lua_tostring(L, -1);
+
+	/*
+		for i = 1, #pattern do
+			part = pattern[i]
+			if part == "not" then
+				assertion = false
+			else
+				if testContext(pattern.prefix, part, assertion) then
+					result = true
+					break
+				end
+				assertion = true
+			end
+		end
+	*/
+
+	n = lua_objlen(L, -2);
+	for (i = 1; i <= n; ++i) {
+		lua_rawgeti(L, -2, i);
+		part = lua_tostring(L, -1);
+
+		if (strcmp(part, "not") == 0) {
+			assertion = 0;
+		}
+		else if (part[0] == '%' && part[1] == '%') {
+			wildcard = 1;
+		}
+		else {
+			if (testContext(L, prefix, part, assertion, wildcard, filename, fileMatched)) {
+				lua_pop(L, 1);
+				result = 1;
+				break;
+			}
+			assertion = 1;
+			wildcard = 0;
+		}
+
+		lua_pop(L, 1);
+	}
+
+	lua_pop(L, 1);
+	return result;
+}
+
+
+
+int criteria_matches(lua_State* L)
+{
+	/* stack [1] = criteria */
+	/* stack [2] = context */
+
+	const char* filename;
+	int top = lua_gettop(L);
+	int matched = 1;
+	int fileMatched = 0;
+
+	/*
+		Cache string.match for a quicker lookup in match() above
+		stack[3] = string
+		stack[4] = string.match
+	*/
+
+	lua_getglobal(L, "string");
+	lua_getfield(L, -1, "match");
+
+	/* filename = context.files */
+
+	lua_getfield(L, 2, "files");
+	filename = lua_tostring(L, -1);
+
+	/*
+		for i, pattern in pairs(criteria.patterns) do
+			if not testPattern(pattern) then
+				matched = false
+				break
+			end
+		end
+	*/
+
+	lua_getfield(L, 1, "patterns");
+	lua_pushnil(L);
+	while (lua_next(L, -2)) {
+		if (!testPattern(L, filename, &fileMatched)) {
+			matched = 0;
+			break;
+		}
+		lua_pop(L, 1);
+	}
+
+	/*
+		if matched and filename and not filematched then
+			matched = false
+		end
+		return matched
+	*/
+
+	if (matched && filename && !fileMatched) {
+		matched = 0;
+	}
+
+	lua_settop(L, top);
+	lua_pushboolean(L, matched);
+	return 1;
+}
diff --git a/src/host/premake.c b/src/host/premake.c
index 52e0ad93..f70af2e0 100644
--- a/src/host/premake.c
+++ b/src/host/premake.c
@@ -35,6 +35,11 @@ extern const char* builtin_scripts[];
 
 
 /* Built-in functions */
+static const luaL_Reg criteria_functions[] = {
+	{ "matches", criteria_matches },
+	{ NULL, NULL }
+};
+
 static const luaL_Reg path_functions[] = {
 	{ "getabsolute", path_getabsolute },
 	{ "getrelative", path_getrelative },
@@ -79,9 +84,10 @@ static const luaL_Reg string_functions[] = {
  */
 int premake_init(lua_State* L)
 {
-	luaL_register(L, "path",   path_functions);
-	luaL_register(L, "os",     os_functions);
-	luaL_register(L, "string", string_functions);
+	luaL_register(L, "criteria", criteria_functions);
+	luaL_register(L, "path",     path_functions);
+	luaL_register(L, "os",       os_functions);
+	luaL_register(L, "string",   string_functions);
 
 	/* push the application metadata */
 	lua_pushstring(L, LUA_COPYRIGHT);
diff --git a/src/host/premake.h b/src/host/premake.h
index 9e971de1..004583a0 100644
--- a/src/host/premake.h
+++ b/src/host/premake.h
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ void do_translate(char* value, const char sep);
 
 
 /* Built-in functions */
+int criteria_matches(lua_State* L);
 int path_getabsolute(lua_State* L);
 int path_getrelative(lua_State* L);
 int path_isabsolute(lua_State* L);