diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index a121c06e..58166ccf 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ AC_DEFINE(API_VERSION, 9, api version)
 
 AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE
 AC_CONFIG_HEADERS(config.h)
-AM_PATH_CPPUNIT(1.9.6)
 
 AC_PROG_CXX
 AC_PROG_LIBTOOL
@@ -36,9 +35,11 @@ if test "x$ax_cv_ncursesw" != xyes && test "x$ax_cv_ncurses" != xyes; then
    AC_MSG_ERROR([requires either NcursesW or Ncurses library])
 fi
 
-CFLAGS="$CFLAGS $PTHREAD_CFLAGS $CURSES_CFLAGS"
-CXXFLAGS="$CXXFLAGS $PTHREAD_CFLAGS $CURSES_CFLAGS"
-LIBS="$PTHREAD_LIBS $CURSES_LIB $LIBS"
+PKG_CHECK_MODULES([CPPUNIT], [cppunit],, [no_cppunit="yes"])
+
+CFLAGS="$CFLAGS $PTHREAD_CFLAGS $CPPUNIT_CFLAGS $CURSES_CFLAGS"
+CXXFLAGS="$CXXFLAGS $PTHREAD_CFLAGS $CPPUNIT_CFLAGS $CURSES_CFLAGS"
+LIBS="$PTHREAD_LIBS $CURSES_LIB $CPPUNIT_LIBS $LIBS"
 
 PKG_CHECK_MODULES([libcurl], libcurl >= 7.15.4,
 	          CXXFLAGS="$CXXFLAGS $libcurl_CFLAGS";