diff --git a/codeGenIntermediate/src/prog8/codegen/intermediate/IRCodeGen.kt b/codeGenIntermediate/src/prog8/codegen/intermediate/IRCodeGen.kt
index bf60ba8d8..8d493d323 100644
--- a/codeGenIntermediate/src/prog8/codegen/intermediate/IRCodeGen.kt
+++ b/codeGenIntermediate/src/prog8/codegen/intermediate/IRCodeGen.kt
@@ -1047,11 +1047,43 @@ class IRCodeGen(
         val elseBranchOpcode: Opcode
         val elseBranchFirstReg: Int
         val elseBranchSecondReg: Int
-
+        val branchDt: IRDataType
         if(irDtLeft==IRDataType.FLOAT) {
-            TODO("float non-zero compare via fcomp instruction")
+            branchDt = IRDataType.BYTE
+            val leftFpRegNum = registers.nextFreeFloat()
+            val rightFpRegNum = registers.nextFreeFloat()
+            val compResultReg = registers.nextFree()
+            result += expressionEval.translateExpression(ifElse.condition.left, -1, leftFpRegNum)
+            result += expressionEval.translateExpression(ifElse.condition.right, -1, rightFpRegNum)
+            addInstr(result, IRInstruction(Opcode.FCOMP, IRDataType.FLOAT, reg1=compResultReg, fpReg1 = leftFpRegNum, fpReg2 = rightFpRegNum), null)
+            val elseBranch = when (ifElse.condition.operator) {
+                "==" -> Opcode.BNZ
+                "!=" -> Opcode.BZ
+                "<" -> Opcode.BGEZS
+                ">" -> Opcode.BLEZS
+                "<=" -> Opcode.BGZS
+                ">=" -> Opcode.BLZS
+                else -> throw AssemblyError("weird operator")
+            }
+            if(ifElse.elseScope.children.isNotEmpty()) {
+                // if and else parts
+                val elseLabel = createLabelName()
+                val afterIfLabel = createLabelName()
+                addInstr(result, IRInstruction(elseBranch, IRDataType.BYTE, reg1=compResultReg, labelSymbol = elseLabel), null)
+                result += translateNode(ifElse.ifScope)
+                addInstr(result, IRInstruction(Opcode.JUMP, labelSymbol = afterIfLabel), null)
+                result += labelFirstChunk(translateNode(ifElse.elseScope), elseLabel)
+                result += IRCodeChunk(afterIfLabel, null)
+            } else {
+                // only if part
+                val afterIfLabel = createLabelName()
+                addInstr(result, IRInstruction(elseBranch, IRDataType.BYTE, reg1=compResultReg, labelSymbol = afterIfLabel), null)
+                result += translateNode(ifElse.ifScope)
+                result += IRCodeChunk(afterIfLabel, null)
+            }
         } else {
             // integer comparisons
+            branchDt = irDtLeft
             val leftRegNum = registers.nextFree()
             val rightRegNum = registers.nextFree()
             result += expressionEval.translateExpression(ifElse.condition.left, leftRegNum, -1)
@@ -1097,7 +1129,7 @@ class IRCodeGen(
                 // if and else parts
                 val elseLabel = createLabelName()
                 val afterIfLabel = createLabelName()
-                addInstr(result, IRInstruction(elseBranchOpcode, irDtLeft,
+                addInstr(result, IRInstruction(elseBranchOpcode, branchDt,
                     reg1=elseBranchFirstReg, reg2=elseBranchSecondReg,
                     labelSymbol = elseLabel), null)
                 result += translateNode(ifElse.ifScope)
@@ -1107,7 +1139,7 @@ class IRCodeGen(
             } else {
                 // only if part
                 val afterIfLabel = createLabelName()
-                addInstr(result, IRInstruction(elseBranchOpcode, irDtLeft,
+                addInstr(result, IRInstruction(elseBranchOpcode, branchDt,
                     reg1=elseBranchFirstReg, reg2=elseBranchSecondReg,
                     labelSymbol = afterIfLabel), null)
                 result += translateNode(ifElse.ifScope)
diff --git a/docs/source/todo.rst b/docs/source/todo.rst
index fb0c59d30..aa84f7bdd 100644
--- a/docs/source/todo.rst
+++ b/docs/source/todo.rst
@@ -3,9 +3,7 @@ TODO
 
 For next minor release
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
-- fix expericodegen compiler crashes:
-    float comparison <= , >= , == , !=  all crash with  mismatched result register for FLOAT  (cube3d-float uses this)
-    maze: thinks draw is unused
+- fix expericodegen compiler errors:
     tehtriz: thinks sound.init routine is unused
     textelite: thinks trader.do_local routine is unused , and debug_seed
 - fix IR/VM: animals.p8 example somehow doesn't print the animal name in the first question, and exits after 1 animal instead of looping
diff --git a/intermediate/src/prog8/intermediate/IRFileReader.kt b/intermediate/src/prog8/intermediate/IRFileReader.kt
index 1a8a7a523..46bdbc0d2 100644
--- a/intermediate/src/prog8/intermediate/IRFileReader.kt
+++ b/intermediate/src/prog8/intermediate/IRFileReader.kt
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import java.io.StringReader
 import java.nio.file.Path
 import javax.xml.stream.XMLEventReader
 import javax.xml.stream.XMLInputFactory
+import javax.xml.stream.XMLStreamException
 import kotlin.io.path.Path
 import kotlin.io.path.inputStream
 
@@ -19,6 +20,9 @@ class IRFileReader {
             val reader = XMLInputFactory.newInstance().createXMLEventReader(stream)
             try {
                 return parseProgram(reader)
+            } catch(x: XMLStreamException) {
+                System.err.println("Error during parsing, this is not a well-formed P8IR source file")
+                throw x
             } finally {
                 reader.close()
             }