diff --git a/linkcheck/tests/__init__.py b/linkcheck/tests/__init__.py
index 1ba57acc..5149e17f 100644
--- a/linkcheck/tests/__init__.py
+++ b/linkcheck/tests/__init__.py
@@ -15,7 +15,23 @@
 # along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software
 # Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
 """
-Unit tests for the linkcheck module.
+Unit test utilities.
 """
 
-import linkcheck
+import unittest
+
+class MsgTestCase (unittest.TestCase):
+    """
+    A test case with improved inequality test.
+    """
+    def failUnlessEqual (self, first, second, msg=None):
+        """
+        Define the first argument as the test value, and the second
+        one as the excpected value. Adjust the default error message
+        accordingly.
+        """
+        if msg is None:
+            msg = "got %r, expected %r" % (first, second)
+        super(MsgTestCase, self).failUnlessEqual(first, second, msg=msg)
+
+    assertEqual = assertEquals = failUnlessEqual
diff --git a/linkcheck/tests/test_containers.py b/linkcheck/tests/test_containers.py
index 6bc7ca58..ee4118f0 100644
--- a/linkcheck/tests/test_containers.py
+++ b/linkcheck/tests/test_containers.py
@@ -21,9 +21,9 @@ Test container routines.
 import unittest
 import random
 import linkcheck.containers
+from linkcheck.tests import MsgTestCase
 
-
-class TestListDict (unittest.TestCase):
+class TestListDict (MsgTestCase):
     """
     Test list dictionary routines.
     """
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ class TestListDict (unittest.TestCase):
             self.assertEqual(self.d[k], toinsert[i])
 
 
-class TestSetList (unittest.TestCase):
+class TestSetList (MsgTestCase):
     """
     Test set list routines.
     """
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ class TestSetList (unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(self.l[1], 3)
 
 
-class TestLRU (unittest.TestCase):
+class TestLRU (MsgTestCase):
     """
     Test routines of LRU queue.
     """
diff --git a/linkcheck/tests/test_parser.py b/linkcheck/tests/test_parser.py
index 0f3039f3..6d38d5fe 100644
--- a/linkcheck/tests/test_parser.py
+++ b/linkcheck/tests/test_parser.py
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import linkcheck.HtmlParser.htmlsax
 import linkcheck.HtmlParser.htmllib
 import cStringIO as StringIO
 import unittest
+from linkcheck.tests import MsgTestCase
 
 
 # list of tuples (<test pattern>, <expected parse output>)
@@ -138,7 +139,7 @@ flushtests = [
 ]
 
 
-class TestParser (unittest.TestCase):
+class TestParser (MsgTestCase):
     """
     Test html parser.
     """
diff --git a/linkcheck/tests/test_strformat.py b/linkcheck/tests/test_strformat.py
index b843e8ca..aa92b85b 100644
--- a/linkcheck/tests/test_strformat.py
+++ b/linkcheck/tests/test_strformat.py
@@ -22,9 +22,10 @@ import unittest
 import os
 
 import linkcheck.strformat
+from linkcheck.tests import MsgTestCase
 
 
-class TestStrFormat (unittest.TestCase):
+class TestStrFormat (MsgTestCase):
     """
     Test string formatting routines.
     """
diff --git a/linkcheck/tests/test_url.py b/linkcheck/tests/test_url.py
index 9aed0c7b..596dfdf5 100644
--- a/linkcheck/tests/test_url.py
+++ b/linkcheck/tests/test_url.py
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ Test url routines.
 import unittest
 import os
 import linkcheck.url
+from linkcheck.tests import MsgTestCase
 
 # 'ftp://user:pass@ftp.foo.net/foo/bar':
 #     'ftp://user:pass@ftp.foo.net/foo/bar',
@@ -40,7 +41,7 @@ def url_norm (url):
     return linkcheck.url.url_norm(url)[0]
 
 
-class TestUrl (unittest.TestCase):
+class TestUrl (MsgTestCase):
     """
     Test url norming and quoting.
     """