1. A method ( 30 ) of recognizing handwriting input, comprising the steps of: a) providing ( 32 ) a database of characters to be recognized, wherein characters are defined by a sequence of written reference strokes; b) acquiring ( 34 ) written spatiotemporal input from a user in the form of discrete input strokes; c) comparing ( 36 ) the discrete input strokes to the database of characters to obtain a comparison result; and d) selecting and updating ( 38 ) a plurality of candidate character sequences based on (i) the comparison result and (ii) a candidate character sequence history derived from at least two sequential strokes previously acquired in step b, wherein the candidate character sequence history comprises a plurality of candidate characters.