--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@
 
 # Checks for libraries.
 AC_CHECK_LIB([z], [adler32], [], [AC_MSG_ERROR([the libz library is missing])])
+AC_CHECK_LIB([expat], [XML_Parse], [], [AC_MSG_ERROR([the expat library is missing])])
 
 # Checks for header files.
 AC_HEADER_STDC
--- a/gamexml.cc
+++ b/gamexml.cc
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 
 #include "game.h"
 #include "strcov.h"
-#include "expat/expat.h"
+#include <expat.h>
 
 #include <string>
 #include <iostream>
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -18,10 +18,7 @@
 	siglock.cc \
 	getopt.c \
 	snprintf.c \
-	lib/readinfo.c \
-	expat/xmlrole.c \
-	expat/xmlparse.c \
-	expat/xmltok.c
+	lib/readinfo.c
 
 advscan_SOURCES =  \
 	scan.cc \
@@ -43,10 +40,7 @@
 	siglock.cc \
 	getopt.c \
 	snprintf.c \
-	lib/readinfo.c \
-	expat/xmlrole.c \
-	expat/xmlparse.c \
-	expat/xmltok.c
+	lib/readinfo.c
 
 EXTRA_DIST = advscan.rc.linux advscan.rc.dos \
 	README AUTHORS HISTORY INSTALL COPYING \
@@ -82,28 +76,7 @@
 	portable.h \
 	lib/readinfo.h \
 	lib/endianrw.h \
-	lib/extra.h \
-	expat/COPYING \
-	expat/README \
-	expat/ascii.h \
-	expat/asciitab.h \
-	expat/expat-1.95.8.diff \
-	expat/expat.h \
-	expat/iasciitab.h \
-	expat/expatcfg.h \
-	expat/expat_external.h \
-	expat/internal.h \
-	expat/latin1tab.h \
-	expat/nametab.h \
-	expat/utf8tab.h \
-	expat/xmlparse.c \
-	expat/xmlrole.c \
-	expat/xmlrole.h \
-	expat/xmltok.c \
-	expat/xmltok.h \
-	expat/xmltok_impl.c \
-	expat/xmltok_impl.h \
-	expat/xmltok_ns.c
+	lib/extra.h
 
 man_MANS = doc/advscan.1 doc/advdiff.1