diff --git a/code/client/cl_main.c b/code/client/cl_main.c
index 59be427e..82d0edfb 100644
--- a/code/client/cl_main.c
+++ b/code/client/cl_main.c
@@ -1245,7 +1245,7 @@ void CL_ClearMemory(qboolean shutdownRef)
 	CL_ShutdownAll(shutdownRef);
 
 	// if not running a server clear the whole hunk
-	if ( !com_sv_running->integer ) {
+	if ( !com_sv_running || !com_sv_running->integer ) {
 		// clear the whole hunk
 		Hunk_Clear();
 		// clear collision map data
@@ -1361,7 +1361,7 @@ static void CL_OldGame(void)
 	{
 		// change back to previous fs_game
 		cl_oldGameSet = qfalse;
-		Cvar_Set2("fs_game", cl_oldGame, qtrue);
+		Cvar_Set("fs_game", cl_oldGame);
 		FS_ConditionalRestart(clc.checksumFeed, qfalse);
 	}
 }
diff --git a/code/client/cl_parse.c b/code/client/cl_parse.c
index 318c8d88..80bbec2d 100644
--- a/code/client/cl_parse.c
+++ b/code/client/cl_parse.c
@@ -399,7 +399,7 @@ void CL_SystemInfoChanged( void ) {
 		// ehw!
 		if (!Q_stricmp(key, "fs_game"))
 		{
-			if(FS_CheckDirTraversal(value))
+			if(FS_InvalidGameDir(value))
 			{
 				Com_Printf(S_COLOR_YELLOW "WARNING: Server sent invalid fs_game value %s\n", value);
 				continue;
diff --git a/code/qcommon/common.c b/code/qcommon/common.c
index 3dbee88f..6580073b 100644
--- a/code/qcommon/common.c
+++ b/code/qcommon/common.c
@@ -2404,6 +2404,9 @@ void Com_GameRestart(int checksumFeed, qboolean disconnect)
 			CL_Shutdown("Game directory changed", disconnect, qfalse);
 		}
 
+		// change com_basegame to latched value
+		com_basegame = Cvar_Get("com_basegame", BASEGAME, CVAR_LATCH|CVAR_NORESTART);
+
 		FS_Restart(checksumFeed);
 	
 		// Clean out any user and VM created cvars
@@ -2439,16 +2442,7 @@ Expose possibility to change current running mod to the user
 
 void Com_GameRestart_f(void)
 {
-	if(!FS_FilenameCompare(Cmd_Argv(1), com_basegame->string))
-	{
-		// This is the standard base game. Servers and clients should
-		// use "" and not the standard basegame name because this messes
-		// up pak file negotiation and lots of other stuff
-		
-		Cvar_Set("fs_game", "");
-	}
-	else
-		Cvar_Set("fs_game", Cmd_Argv(1));
+	Cvar_Set("fs_game", Cmd_Argv(1));
 
 	Com_GameRestart(0, qtrue);
 }
@@ -2705,11 +2699,8 @@ void Com_Init( char *commandLine ) {
 	CL_InitKeyCommands();
 
 	com_standalone = Cvar_Get("com_standalone", "0", CVAR_ROM);
-	com_basegame = Cvar_Get("com_basegame", BASEGAME, CVAR_INIT);
-	com_homepath = Cvar_Get("com_homepath", "", CVAR_INIT);
-	
-	if(!com_basegame->string[0])
-		Cvar_ForceReset("com_basegame");
+	com_basegame = Cvar_Get("com_basegame", BASEGAME, CVAR_LATCH|CVAR_NORESTART);
+	com_homepath = Cvar_Get("com_homepath", "", CVAR_INIT|CVAR_PROTECTED);
 
 	FS_InitFilesystem ();
 
diff --git a/code/qcommon/files.c b/code/qcommon/files.c
index 3545cd1d..eb61af9c 100644
--- a/code/qcommon/files.c
+++ b/code/qcommon/files.c
@@ -3067,6 +3067,24 @@ qboolean FS_CheckDirTraversal(const char *checkdir)
 	return qfalse;
 }
 
+/*
+================
+FS_InvalidGameDir
+
+return true if path is a reference to current directory or directory traversal
+================
+*/
+qboolean FS_InvalidGameDir( const char *gamedir ) {
+	if ( !strcmp( gamedir, "." ) || !strcmp( gamedir, ".." )
+		|| !strcmp( gamedir, "/" ) || !strcmp( gamedir, "\\" )
+		|| strstr( gamedir, "/.." ) || strstr( gamedir, "\\.." )
+		|| FS_CheckDirTraversal( gamedir ) ) {
+		return qtrue;
+	}
+
+	return qfalse;
+}
+
 /*
 ================
 FS_ComparePaks
@@ -3301,13 +3319,34 @@ static void FS_Startup( const char *gameName )
 
 	fs_debug = Cvar_Get( "fs_debug", "0", 0 );
 	fs_basepath = Cvar_Get ("fs_basepath", Sys_DefaultInstallPath(), CVAR_INIT|CVAR_PROTECTED );
-	fs_basegame = Cvar_Get ("fs_basegame", "", CVAR_INIT );
+	fs_basegame = Cvar_Get ("fs_basegame", "", CVAR_LATCH|CVAR_NORESTART );
 	homePath = Sys_DefaultHomePath();
 	if (!homePath || !homePath[0]) {
 		homePath = fs_basepath->string;
 	}
 	fs_homepath = Cvar_Get ("fs_homepath", homePath, CVAR_INIT|CVAR_PROTECTED );
-	fs_gamedirvar = Cvar_Get ("fs_game", "", CVAR_INIT|CVAR_SYSTEMINFO );
+	fs_gamedirvar = Cvar_Get ("fs_game", "", CVAR_LATCH|CVAR_NORESTART|CVAR_SYSTEMINFO );
+
+	if (!gameName[0]) {
+		Cvar_ForceReset( "com_basegame" );
+	}
+
+	if (!FS_FilenameCompare(fs_gamedirvar->string, gameName)) {
+		// This is the standard base game. Servers and clients should
+		// use "" and not the standard basegame name because this messes
+		// up pak file negotiation and lots of other stuff
+		Cvar_ForceReset( "fs_game" );
+	}
+
+	if (FS_InvalidGameDir(gameName)) {
+		Com_Error( ERR_DROP, "Invalid com_basegame '%s'", gameName );
+	}
+	if (FS_InvalidGameDir(fs_basegame->string)) {
+		Com_Error( ERR_DROP, "Invalid fs_basegame '%s'", fs_basegame->string );
+	}
+	if (FS_InvalidGameDir(fs_gamedirvar->string)) {
+		Com_Error( ERR_DROP, "Invalid fs_game '%s'", fs_gamedirvar->string );
+	}
 
 	// add search path elements in reverse priority order
 	fs_gogpath = Cvar_Get ("fs_gogpath", Sys_GogPath(), CVAR_INIT|CVAR_PROTECTED );
@@ -3391,8 +3430,6 @@ static void FS_Startup( const char *gameName )
 	// print the current search paths
 	FS_Path_f();
 
-	fs_gamedirvar->modified = qfalse; // We just loaded, it's not modified
-
 	Com_Printf( "----------------------\n" );
 
 #ifdef FS_MISSING
@@ -4040,17 +4077,10 @@ Return qtrue if restarting due to game directory changed, qfalse otherwise
 */
 qboolean FS_ConditionalRestart(int checksumFeed, qboolean disconnect)
 {
-	if(fs_gamedirvar->modified)
+	if (com_basegame->latchedString || fs_basegame->latchedString || fs_gamedirvar->latchedString)
 	{
-		if(FS_FilenameCompare(lastValidGame, fs_gamedirvar->string) &&
-				(*lastValidGame || FS_FilenameCompare(fs_gamedirvar->string, com_basegame->string)) &&
-				(*fs_gamedirvar->string || FS_FilenameCompare(lastValidGame, com_basegame->string)))
-		{
-			Com_GameRestart(checksumFeed, disconnect);
-			return qtrue;
-		}
-		else
-			fs_gamedirvar->modified = qfalse;
+		Com_GameRestart(checksumFeed, disconnect);
+		return qtrue;
 	}
 
 	if(checksumFeed != fs_checksumFeed)
diff --git a/code/qcommon/qcommon.h b/code/qcommon/qcommon.h
index 2880f70d..4471198c 100644
--- a/code/qcommon/qcommon.h
+++ b/code/qcommon/qcommon.h
@@ -726,6 +726,7 @@ void FS_PureServerSetLoadedPaks( const char *pakSums, const char *pakNames );
 // sole exception of .cfg files.
 
 qboolean FS_CheckDirTraversal(const char *checkdir);
+qboolean FS_InvalidGameDir(const char *gamedir);
 qboolean FS_idPak(char *pak, char *base, int numPaks);
 qboolean FS_ComparePaks( char *neededpaks, int len, qboolean dlstring );