diff --git a/cmd/geth/block_go_test.go b/cmd/geth/block_go_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..1980e4798ea33e06a27e5fd691351332b9604668
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/geth/block_go_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"path"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/accounts"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/crypto"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/eth"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/ethdb"
+	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/tests"
+)
+
+// TODO: refactor test setup & execution to better align with vm and tx tests
+// TODO: refactor to avoid duplication with cmd/geth/blocktest.go
+func TestBcValidBlockTests(t *testing.T) {
+	runBlockTestsInFile("../../tests/files/BlockTests/bcValidBlockTest.json", t)
+}
+
+/*
+func TestBcUncleTests(t *testing.T) {
+	runBlockTestsInFile("../../tests/files/BlockTests/bcUncleTest.json", t)
+}
+*/
+
+func runBlockTestsInFile(filepath string, t *testing.T) {
+	bt, err := tests.LoadBlockTests(filepath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	for name, test := range bt {
+		runTest(name, test, t)
+	}
+}
+
+func runTest(name string, test *tests.BlockTest, t *testing.T) {
+	t.Log("Running test: ", name)
+	cfg := testEthConfig()
+	ethereum, err := eth.New(cfg)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("%v", err)
+	}
+
+	err = ethereum.Start()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("%v", err)
+	}
+
+	// import the genesis block
+	ethereum.ResetWithGenesisBlock(test.Genesis)
+
+	// import pre accounts
+	statedb, err := test.InsertPreState(ethereum.StateDb())
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("InsertPreState: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// insert the test blocks, which will execute all transactions
+	if err := test.InsertBlocks(ethereum.ChainManager()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Block Test load error: %v %T", err, err)
+	}
+
+	if err := test.ValidatePostState(statedb); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal("post state validation failed: %v", err)
+	}
+	t.Log("Test passed: ", name)
+}
+
+func testEthConfig() *eth.Config {
+	ks := crypto.NewKeyStorePassphrase(path.Join(common.DefaultDataDir(), "keys"))
+
+	return &eth.Config{
+		DataDir:        common.DefaultDataDir(),
+		LogLevel:       5,
+		Etherbase:      "primary",
+		AccountManager: accounts.NewManager(ks),
+		NewDB:          func(path string) (common.Database, error) { return ethdb.NewMemDatabase() },
+	}
+}
diff --git a/tests/blocktest.go b/tests/block_test_util.go
similarity index 96%
rename from tests/blocktest.go
rename to tests/block_test_util.go
index d0a910336170e32d50020d4d85ff0a72044a3e16..5c42ae18c9185f27037f52667c75fcbf5fb72fc2 100644
--- a/tests/blocktest.go
+++ b/tests/block_test_util.go
@@ -238,10 +238,10 @@ func mustConvertBytes(in string) []byte {
 	if in == "0x" {
 		return []byte{}
 	}
-	h := nibbleFix(strings.TrimPrefix(in, "0x"))
+	h := unfuckFuckedHex(strings.TrimPrefix(in, "0x"))
 	out, err := hex.DecodeString(h)
 	if err != nil {
-		panic(fmt.Errorf("invalid hex: %q", h))
+		panic(fmt.Errorf("invalid hex: %q: ", h, err))
 	}
 	return out
 }
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ func mustConvertHash(in string) common.Hash {
 }
 
 func mustConvertAddress(in string) common.Address {
-	out, err := hex.DecodeString(nibbleFix(strings.TrimPrefix(in, "0x")))
+	out, err := hex.DecodeString(strings.TrimPrefix(in, "0x"))
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(fmt.Errorf("invalid hex: %q", in))
 	}
@@ -318,6 +318,7 @@ func findLine(data []byte, offset int64) (line int) {
 	return
 }
 
+// Nothing to see here, please move along...
 func prepInt(base int, s string) string {
 	if base == 16 {
 		if strings.HasPrefix(s, "0x") {
@@ -331,6 +332,11 @@ func prepInt(base int, s string) string {
 	return s
 }
 
+// don't ask
+func unfuckFuckedHex(almostHex string) string {
+	return nibbleFix(strings.Replace(almostHex, "v", "", -1))
+}
+
 func nibbleFix(s string) string {
 	if len(s)%2 != 0 {
 		s = "0" + s
diff --git a/tests/transaction_test_util.go b/tests/transaction_test_util.go
index d82946e20008d3a36a477778114b3a6877f3e755..23ec375e30c25edcbce7f2b0430c94410ee8f41b 100644
--- a/tests/transaction_test_util.go
+++ b/tests/transaction_test_util.go
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@ package tests
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
-	"math/big"
 	"runtime"
 
 	"github.com/ethereum/go-ethereum/common"
@@ -49,93 +49,112 @@ func RunTransactionTests(file string, notWorking map[string]bool) error {
 }
 
 func runTest(txTest TransactionTest) (err error) {
-	expectedSender, expectedTo, expectedData, rlpBytes, expectedGasLimit, expectedGasPrice, expectedValue, expectedR, expectedS, expectedNonce, expectedV, err := convertTestTypes(txTest)
+	tx := new(types.Transaction)
+	err = rlp.DecodeBytes(mustConvertBytes(txTest.Rlp), tx)
 
 	if err != nil {
-		if txTest.Sender == "" { // tx is invalid and this is expected (test OK)
+		if txTest.Sender == "" {
+			// RLP decoding failed and this is expected (test OK)
 			return nil
 		} else {
-			return err // tx is invalid and this is NOT expected (test FAIL)
+			// RLP decoding failed but is expected to succeed (test FAIL)
+			return errors.New("RLP decoding failed when expected to succeed")
 		}
 	}
-	tx := new(types.Transaction)
-	rlp.DecodeBytes(rlpBytes, tx)
-	//fmt.Println("HURR tx: %v", tx)
-	sender, err := tx.From()
+
+	validationError := verifyTxFields(txTest, tx)
+	if txTest.Sender == "" {
+		if validationError != nil {
+			// RLP decoding works but validation should fail (test OK)
+			return nil
+		} else {
+			// RLP decoding works but validation should fail (test FAIL)
+			// (this should not be possible but added here for completeness)
+			return errors.New("Field validations succeeded but should fail")
+		}
+	}
+
+	if txTest.Sender != "" {
+		if validationError == nil {
+			// RLP decoding works and validations pass (test OK)
+			return nil
+		} else {
+			// RLP decoding works and validations pass (test FAIL)
+			return errors.New("Field validations failed after RLP decoding")
+		}
+	}
+	return errors.New("Should not happen: verify RLP decoding and field validation")
+}
+
+func verifyTxFields(txTest TransactionTest, decodedTx *types.Transaction) (err error) {
+	defer func() {
+		if recovered := recover(); recovered != nil {
+			buf := make([]byte, 64<<10)
+			buf = buf[:runtime.Stack(buf, false)]
+			err = fmt.Errorf("%v\n%s", recovered, buf)
+		}
+	}()
+
+	decodedSender, err := decodedTx.From()
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	if expectedSender != sender {
-		return fmt.Errorf("Sender mismatch: %v %v", expectedSender, sender)
+	expectedSender := mustConvertAddress(txTest.Sender)
+	if expectedSender != decodedSender {
+		return fmt.Errorf("Sender mismatch: %v %v", expectedSender, decodedSender)
 	}
-	if !bytes.Equal(expectedData, tx.Payload) {
-		return fmt.Errorf("Tx input data mismatch: %#v %#v", expectedData, tx.Payload)
+
+	expectedData := mustConvertBytes(txTest.Transaction.Data)
+	if !bytes.Equal(expectedData, decodedTx.Payload) {
+		return fmt.Errorf("Tx input data mismatch: %#v %#v", expectedData, decodedTx.Payload)
 	}
-	if expectedGasLimit.Cmp(tx.GasLimit) != 0 {
-		return fmt.Errorf("GasLimit mismatch: %v %v", expectedGasLimit, tx.GasLimit)
+
+	expectedGasLimit := mustConvertBigInt(txTest.Transaction.GasLimit, 16)
+	if expectedGasLimit.Cmp(decodedTx.GasLimit) != 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("GasLimit mismatch: %v %v", expectedGasLimit, decodedTx.GasLimit)
 	}
-	if expectedGasPrice.Cmp(tx.Price) != 0 {
-		return fmt.Errorf("GasPrice mismatch: %v %v", expectedGasPrice, tx.Price)
+
+	expectedGasPrice := mustConvertBigInt(txTest.Transaction.GasPrice, 16)
+	if expectedGasPrice.Cmp(decodedTx.Price) != 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("GasPrice mismatch: %v %v", expectedGasPrice, decodedTx.Price)
 	}
-	if expectedNonce != tx.AccountNonce {
-		return fmt.Errorf("Nonce mismatch: %v %v", expectedNonce, tx.AccountNonce)
+
+	expectedNonce := mustConvertUint(txTest.Transaction.Nonce, 16)
+	if expectedNonce != decodedTx.AccountNonce {
+		return fmt.Errorf("Nonce mismatch: %v %v", expectedNonce, decodedTx.AccountNonce)
 	}
-	if expectedR.Cmp(tx.R) != 0 {
-		return fmt.Errorf("R mismatch: %v %v", expectedR, tx.R)
+
+	expectedR := common.Bytes2Big(mustConvertBytes(txTest.Transaction.R))
+	if expectedR.Cmp(decodedTx.R) != 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("R mismatch: %v %v", expectedR, decodedTx.R)
 	}
-	if expectedS.Cmp(tx.S) != 0 {
-		return fmt.Errorf("S mismatch: %v %v", expectedS, tx.S)
+
+	expectedS := common.Bytes2Big(mustConvertBytes(txTest.Transaction.S))
+	if expectedS.Cmp(decodedTx.S) != 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("S mismatch: %v %v", expectedS, decodedTx.S)
 	}
-	if expectedV != uint64(tx.V) {
-		return fmt.Errorf("V mismatch: %v %v", expectedV, uint64(tx.V))
+
+	expectedV := mustConvertUint(txTest.Transaction.V, 16)
+	if expectedV != uint64(decodedTx.V) {
+		return fmt.Errorf("V mismatch: %v %v", expectedV, uint64(decodedTx.V))
 	}
-	if tx.Recipient == nil {
+
+	expectedTo := mustConvertAddress(txTest.Transaction.To)
+	if decodedTx.Recipient == nil {
 		if expectedTo != common.BytesToAddress([]byte{}) { // "empty" or "zero" address
 			return fmt.Errorf("To mismatch when recipient is nil (contract creation): %v", expectedTo)
 		}
 	} else {
-		if expectedTo != *tx.Recipient {
-			return fmt.Errorf("To mismatch: %v %v", expectedTo, *tx.Recipient)
+		if expectedTo != *decodedTx.Recipient {
+			return fmt.Errorf("To mismatch: %v %v", expectedTo, *decodedTx.Recipient)
 		}
 	}
 
-	if expectedValue.Cmp(tx.Amount) != 0 {
-		return fmt.Errorf("Value mismatch: %v %v", expectedValue, tx.Amount)
+	expectedValue := mustConvertBigInt(txTest.Transaction.Value, 16)
+	if expectedValue.Cmp(decodedTx.Amount) != 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("Value mismatch: %v %v", expectedValue, decodedTx.Amount)
 	}
 
 	return nil
 }
-
-func convertTestTypes(txTest TransactionTest) (sender, to common.Address,
-	txInputData, rlpBytes []byte,
-	gasLimit, gasPrice, value, r, s *big.Int,
-	nonce, v uint64,
-	err error) {
-
-	defer func() {
-		if recovered := recover(); recovered != nil {
-			buf := make([]byte, 64<<10)
-			buf = buf[:runtime.Stack(buf, false)]
-			err = fmt.Errorf("%v\n%s", recovered, buf)
-		}
-	}()
-
-	sender = mustConvertAddress(txTest.Sender)
-	to = mustConvertAddress(txTest.Transaction.To)
-
-	txInputData = mustConvertBytes(txTest.Transaction.Data)
-	rlpBytes = mustConvertBytes(txTest.Rlp)
-
-	gasLimit = mustConvertBigInt(txTest.Transaction.GasLimit, 16)
-	gasPrice = mustConvertBigInt(txTest.Transaction.GasPrice, 16)
-	value = mustConvertBigInt(txTest.Transaction.Value, 16)
-
-	r = common.Bytes2Big(mustConvertBytes(txTest.Transaction.R))
-	s = common.Bytes2Big(mustConvertBytes(txTest.Transaction.S))
-
-	nonce = mustConvertUint(txTest.Transaction.Nonce, 16)
-	v = mustConvertUint(txTest.Transaction.V, 16)
-
-	return sender, to, txInputData, rlpBytes, gasLimit, gasPrice, value, r, s, nonce, v, nil
-}