diff --git a/compilerAst/test/TestModuleImporter.kt b/compilerAst/test/TestModuleImporter.kt
index 0466e8123..e3c1105ba 100644
--- a/compilerAst/test/TestModuleImporter.kt
+++ b/compilerAst/test/TestModuleImporter.kt
@@ -1,20 +1,68 @@
 package prog8tests
 
-import org.junit.jupiter.api.TestInstance
-import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test
-import kotlin.test.*
 import prog8tests.helpers.*
-
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.TestInstance
+import org.hamcrest.MatcherAssert.assertThat
+import org.hamcrest.Matchers.*
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.assertThrows
 import kotlin.io.path.*
 
 import prog8.ast.Program
-import prog8.parser.ModuleImporter
 import prog8.parser.ParseError
 
+import prog8.parser.ModuleImporter
+
 
 @TestInstance(TestInstance.Lifecycle.PER_CLASS)
 class TestModuleImporter {
 
+    private val count = listOf("1st", "2nd", "3rd", "4th", "5th")
+
+    @Test
+    fun testImportModuleWithExistingPath_absolute() {
+        val program = Program("foo", mutableListOf(), DummyFunctions, DummyMemsizer)
+        val searchIn = listOf(
+            Path(".").div(workingDir.relativize(fixturesDir)), // we do want a dot "." in front
+        ).map { it.invariantSeparatorsPathString }
+        val importer = ModuleImporter(program, "blah", searchIn)
+        val fileName = "simple_main.p8"
+        val path = assumeReadableFile(searchIn[0], fileName)
+
+        val module = importer.importModule(path.absolute())
+        assertThat(module.program, `is`(program))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun testImportModuleWithExistingPath_relativeToWorkingDir() {
+        val program = Program("foo", mutableListOf(), DummyFunctions, DummyMemsizer)
+        val searchIn = listOf(
+            Path(".").div(workingDir.relativize(fixturesDir)), // we do want a dot "." in front
+        ).map { it.invariantSeparatorsPathString }
+        val importer = ModuleImporter(program, "blah", searchIn)
+        val fileName = "simple_main.p8"
+        val path = assumeReadableFile(searchIn[0], fileName)
+        assertThat("sanity check: path should NOT be absolute", path.isAbsolute, `is`(false))
+
+        val module = importer.importModule(path)
+        assertThat(module.program, `is`(program))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun testImportModuleWithExistingPath_relativeTo1stDirInSearchList() {
+        val program = Program("foo", mutableListOf(), DummyFunctions, DummyMemsizer)
+        val searchIn = listOf(
+            Path(".").div(workingDir.relativize(fixturesDir)), // we do want a dot "." in front
+        ).map { it.invariantSeparatorsPathString }
+        val importer = ModuleImporter(program, "blah", searchIn)
+        val fileName = "simple_main.p8"
+        val path = Path(".", fileName)
+        assumeReadableFile(searchIn[0], path)
+
+        val module = importer.importModule(path)
+        assertThat(module.program, `is`(program))
+    }
+
     @Test
     fun testImportModuleWithNonExistingPath() {
         val program = Program("foo", mutableListOf(), DummyFunctions, DummyMemsizer)
@@ -22,7 +70,7 @@ class TestModuleImporter {
         val importer = ModuleImporter(program, "blah", listOf(searchIn))
         val srcPath = assumeNotExists(fixturesDir, "i_do_not_exist")
 
-        assertFailsWith<NoSuchFileException> { importer.importModule(srcPath) }
+        assertThrows<NoSuchFileException> { importer.importModule(srcPath) }
     }
 
     @Test
@@ -30,13 +78,13 @@ class TestModuleImporter {
         val program = Program("foo", mutableListOf(), DummyFunctions, DummyMemsizer)
         val searchIn = "./" + workingDir.relativize(fixturesDir).toString().replace("\\", "/")
         val importer = ModuleImporter(program, "blah", listOf(searchIn))
-
         val srcPath = assumeDirectory(fixturesDir)
 
-        // fn importModule(Path) used to check *.isReadable()*, but NOT .isRegularFile():
-        assumeReadable(srcPath)
-
-        assertFailsWith<AccessDeniedException> { importer.importModule(srcPath) }
+        assertThrows<AccessDeniedException> { importer.importModule(srcPath) }
+            .let {
+                assertThat(it.message!!, containsString("$srcPath"))
+                assertThat(it.file, `is`(srcPath.toFile()))
+            }
     }
 
     @Test
@@ -44,19 +92,17 @@ class TestModuleImporter {
         val program = Program("foo", mutableListOf(), DummyFunctions, DummyMemsizer)
         val searchIn = "./" + workingDir.relativize(fixturesDir).toString().replace("\\", "/")
         val importer = ModuleImporter(program, "blah", listOf(searchIn))
+        val srcPath = assumeReadableFile(fixturesDir, "file_with_syntax_error.p8")
 
-        val filename = "file_with_syntax_error.p8"
-        val path = assumeReadableFile(fixturesDir, filename)
-        val act = { importer.importModule(path) }
+        val act = { importer.importModule(srcPath) }
 
-        assertFailsWith<ParseError> { act() }
-        try {
-            act()
-        } catch (e: ParseError) {
-            assertEquals(path.absolutePathString(), e.position.file)
-            assertEquals(2, e.position.line, "line; should be 1-based")
-            assertEquals(6, e.position.startCol, "startCol; should be 0-based" )
-            assertEquals(6, e.position.endCol, "endCol; should be 0-based")
+        repeat (2) { n ->
+            assertThrows<ParseError>(count[n] + " call") { act() }.let {
+                assertThat(it.position.file, `is`(srcPath.absolutePathString()))
+                assertThat("line; should be 1-based",       it.position.line,       `is`(2))
+                assertThat("startCol; should be 0-based",   it.position.startCol,   `is`(6))
+                assertThat("endCol; should be 0-based",     it.position.endCol,     `is`(6))
+            }
         }
     }
 
@@ -65,21 +111,18 @@ class TestModuleImporter {
         val program = Program("foo", mutableListOf(), DummyFunctions, DummyMemsizer)
         val searchIn = "./" + workingDir.relativize(fixturesDir).toString().replace("\\", "/")
         val importer = ModuleImporter(program, "blah", listOf(searchIn))
-
         val importing = assumeReadableFile(fixturesDir, "import_file_with_syntax_error.p8")
         val imported = assumeReadableFile(fixturesDir, "file_with_syntax_error.p8")
 
         val act = { importer.importModule(importing) }
 
-        assertFailsWith<ParseError> { act() }
-        try {
-            act()
-        } catch (e: ParseError) {
-            val expectedProvenance = imported.absolutePathString()
-            assertEquals(expectedProvenance, e.position.file)
-            assertEquals(2, e.position.line, "line; should be 1-based")
-            assertEquals(6, e.position.startCol, "startCol; should be 0-based" )
-            assertEquals(6, e.position.endCol, "endCol; should be 0-based")
+        repeat (2) { n ->
+            assertThrows<ParseError>(count[n] + " call") { act() }.let {
+                assertThat(it.position.file, `is`(imported.absolutePathString()))
+                assertThat("line; should be 1-based",       it.position.line,       `is`(2))
+                assertThat("startCol; should be 0-based",   it.position.startCol,   `is`(6))
+                assertThat("endCol; should be 0-based",     it.position.endCol,     `is`(6))
+            }
         }
     }
 
@@ -91,8 +134,16 @@ class TestModuleImporter {
         val filenameNoExt = assumeNotExists(fixturesDir, "i_do_not_exist").name
         val filenameWithExt = assumeNotExists(fixturesDir, "i_do_not_exist.p8").name
 
-        assertFailsWith<NoSuchFileException> { importer.importLibraryModule(filenameNoExt) }
-        assertFailsWith<NoSuchFileException> { importer.importLibraryModule(filenameWithExt) }
+        repeat (2) { n ->
+            assertThrows<NoSuchFileException>(count[n] + " call / NO .p8 extension")
+                { importer.importLibraryModule(filenameNoExt) }.let {
+                    assertThat(it.message!!, containsString(filenameWithExt))
+                }
+            assertThrows<NoSuchFileException>(count[n] + " call / with .p8 extension")
+                { importer.importLibraryModule(filenameWithExt) }.let {
+                    assertThat(it.message!!, containsString(filenameWithExt))
+                }
+        }
     }
 
     @Test
@@ -102,17 +153,14 @@ class TestModuleImporter {
         val importer = ModuleImporter(program, "blah", listOf(searchIn))
         val srcPath = assumeReadableFile(fixturesDir,"file_with_syntax_error.p8")
 
-        val act = { importer.importLibraryModule(srcPath.nameWithoutExtension) }
-
-        assertFailsWith<ParseError> { act() }
-        try {
-            act()
-        } catch (e: ParseError) {
-            val expectedProvenance = srcPath.absolutePathString()
-            assertEquals(expectedProvenance, e.position.file)
-            assertEquals(2, e.position.line, "line; should be 1-based")
-            assertEquals(6, e.position.startCol, "startCol; should be 0-based")
-            assertEquals(6, e.position.endCol, "endCol; should be 0-based")
+        repeat (2) { n ->
+            assertThrows<ParseError> (count[n] + " call")
+                { importer.importLibraryModule(srcPath.nameWithoutExtension) } .let {
+                    assertThat(it.position.file, `is`(srcPath.absolutePathString()))
+                    assertThat("line; should be 1-based",       it.position.line,       `is`(2))
+                    assertThat("startCol; should be 0-based",   it.position.startCol,   `is`(6))
+                    assertThat("endCol; should be 0-based",     it.position.endCol,     `is`(6))
+                }
         }
     }
 
@@ -121,21 +169,18 @@ class TestModuleImporter {
         val program = Program("foo", mutableListOf(), DummyFunctions, DummyMemsizer)
         val searchIn = "./" + workingDir.relativize(fixturesDir).toString().replace("\\", "/")
         val importer = ModuleImporter(program, "blah", listOf(searchIn))
-
         val importing = assumeReadableFile(fixturesDir, "import_file_with_syntax_error.p8")
         val imported = assumeReadableFile(fixturesDir,"file_with_syntax_error.p8")
 
         val act = { importer.importLibraryModule(importing.nameWithoutExtension) }
 
-        assertFailsWith<ParseError> { act() }
-        try {
-            act()
-        } catch (e: ParseError) {
-            val expectedProvenance = imported.normalize().absolutePathString()
-            assertEquals(expectedProvenance, e.position.file)
-            assertEquals(2, e.position.line, "line; should be 1-based")
-            assertEquals(6, e.position.startCol, "startCol; should be 0-based")
-            assertEquals(6, e.position.endCol, "endCol; should be 0-based")
+        repeat(2) { n ->
+            assertThrows<ParseError>(count[n] + " call") { act() }.let {
+                assertThat(it.position.file, `is`(imported.normalize().absolutePathString()))
+                assertThat("line; should be 1-based", it.position.line, `is`(2))
+                assertThat("startCol; should be 0-based", it.position.startCol, `is`(6))
+                assertThat("endCol; should be 0-based", it.position.endCol, `is`(6))
+            }
         }
     }