diff --git a/Makefile.in b/Makefile.in
index 4e30ada35..e92a10727 100644
--- a/Makefile.in
+++ b/Makefile.in
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ CONF_LIB_ALSA=@CONF_LIB_ALSA@
 CONF_LIB_OSS=@CONF_LIB_OSS@
 CONF_LIB_SDL=@CONF_LIB_SDL@
 CONF_LIB_FREETYPE=@CONF_LIB_FREETYPE@
+CONF_LIB_SLANG=@CONF_LIB_SLANG@
+CONF_LIB_NCURSES=@CONF_LIB_NCURSES@
 CONF_LIB_SVGAWIN=@CONF_LIB_SVGAWIN@
 CONF_LIB_PTHREAD=@CONF_LIB_PTHREAD@
 CONF_LIB_SLANG=@CONF_LIB_SLANG@
@@ -97,6 +99,10 @@ SDLCFLAGS=@SDLCFLAGS@
 SDLLIBS=@SDLLIBS@
 FREETYPECFLAGS=@FREETYPECFLAGS@
 FREETYPELIBS=@FREETYPELIBS@
+SLANGCFLAGS=@SLANGCFLAGS@
+SLANGLIBS=@SLANGLIBS@
+NCURSESCFLAGS=@NCURSESCFLAGS@
+NCURSESLIBS=@NCURSESLIBS@
 VCCFLAGS=@VCCFLAGS@
 VCLIBS=@VCLIBS@
 ASMFLAGS=@ASMFLAGS@
diff --git a/Makefile.usr b/Makefile.usr
index 7c9444b41..45198579d 100644
--- a/Makefile.usr
+++ b/Makefile.usr
@@ -302,6 +302,8 @@ SDLCFLAGS = $(shell sdl-config --cflags)
 SDLLIBS = $(shell sdl-config --libs)
 FREETYPECFLAGS = $(shell freetype-config --cflags)
 FREETYPELIBS = $(shell freetype-config --libs)
+NCURSESCFLAGS = $(shell ncurses6-config --cflags)
+NCURSESLIBS = $(shell ncurses6-config --libs)
 endif
 ifeq ($(CONF_HOST),dos)
 # Probably you need to changes these to cross compile:
diff --git a/advance/cfg.mak b/advance/cfg.mak
index 222533ff3..d2f832330 100644
--- a/advance/cfg.mak
+++ b/advance/cfg.mak
@@ -57,15 +57,17 @@ CFGOBJS += \
 	$(CFGOBJ)/linux/os.o
 ifeq ($(CONF_LIB_SLANG),yes)
 CFGCFLAGS += \
+	$(SLANGCFLAGS) \
 	-DUSE_VIDEO_SLANG
-CFGLIBS += -lslang
+CFGLIBS += $(SLANGLIBS)
 CFGOBJS += \
 	$(CFGOBJ)/linux/vslang.o
 endif
 ifeq ($(CONF_LIB_NCURSES),yes)
 CFGCFLAGS += \
+	$(NCURSESCFLAGS) \
 	-DUSE_VIDEO_CURSES
-CFGLIBS += -lncurses
+CFGLIBS += $(NCURSESLIBS)
 CFGOBJS += \
 	$(CFGOBJ)/linux/vcurses.o
 endif
diff --git a/advance/v.mak b/advance/v.mak
index 4ffe708f3..451f0d55f 100644
--- a/advance/v.mak
+++ b/advance/v.mak
@@ -53,15 +53,17 @@ VOBJS += \
 	$(VOBJ)/linux/os.o
 ifeq ($(CONF_LIB_SLANG),yes)
 VCFLAGS += \
+	$(SLANGCFLAGS) \
 	-DUSE_VIDEO_SLANG
-VLIBS += -lslang
+VLIBS += $(SLANGLIBS)
 VOBJS += \
 	$(VOBJ)/linux/vslang.o
 endif
 ifeq ($(CONF_LIB_NCURSES),yes)
 VCFLAGS += \
+	$(NCURSESCFLAGS) \
 	-DUSE_VIDEO_CURSES
-VLIBS += -lncurses
+VLIBS += $(NCURSESLIBS)
 VOBJS += \
 	$(VOBJ)/linux/vcurses.o
 endif
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 063c407a4..f8ba989aa 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -717,29 +717,41 @@ AC_ARG_ENABLE(
 	[ac_lib_slang=auto]
 )
 if test $ac_lib_slang = auto; then
-	AC_CHECK_LIB(
-		[slang],
-		[SLang_init_tty],
-		[ac_lib_slang=yes],
-		[ac_lib_slang=no],
-		[]
-	)
+	PKG_CHECK_MODULES([SLANG], [slang], [ac_lib_slang=yes], [ac_lib_slang=no])
+	if test $ac_lib_slang = yes; then
+		ac_save_CFLAGS="$CFLAGS"
+		ac_save_LIBS="$LIBS"
+		CFLAGS="SLANG_CFLAGS $CFLAGS"
+		LIBS="$SLANG_LIBS $LIBS"
+                AC_MSG_CHECKING([for linking slang])
+                AC_TRY_LINK([
+				#include <slang.h>
+			], [
+				if (SLang_init_tty(-1, 0, 0) < 0) {
+					perror("SLang_init_tty");
+					return 1;
+				}
+
+				SLang_reset_tty();
+				return 0;
+			],[ac_lib_slang=yes],[ac_lib_slang=no])
+		AC_MSG_RESULT([$ac_lib_slang])
+		CFLAGS="$ac_save_CFLAGS"
+		LIBS="$ac_save_LIBS"
+        fi
 elif test $ac_lib_slang = yes; then
-	AC_CHECK_LIB(
-		[slang],
-		[SLang_init_tty],
-		[],
-		[AC_MSG_ERROR([the sLang library is missing])],
-		[]
-	)
+	PKG_CHECK_MODULES([SLANG], [slang], [], AC_MSG_ERROR([the slang library is missing]))
 fi
 if test $ac_lib_slang = yes; then
 	AC_CHECK_HEADERS([slang.h slang/slang.h], [break])
 	ac_lib_video="$ac_lib_video slang"
 	ac_lib_text_flag=yes
 fi
+AC_SUBST([SLANGCFLAGS],[$SLANG_CFLAGS])
+AC_SUBST([SLANGLIBS],[$SLANG_LIBS])
 AC_SUBST([CONF_LIB_SLANG],[$ac_lib_slang])
 
+
 dnl Checks for ncurses
 AC_ARG_ENABLE(
 	[ncurses],
@@ -748,28 +760,37 @@ AC_ARG_ENABLE(
 	[ac_lib_ncurses=auto]
 )
 if test $ac_lib_ncurses = auto; then
-	AC_CHECK_LIB(
-		[ncurses],
-		[endwin],
-		[ac_lib_ncurses=yes],
-		[ac_lib_ncurses=no],
-		[]
-	)
+	PKG_CHECK_MODULES([NCURSES], [ncurses], [ac_lib_ncurses=yes], [ac_lib_ncurses=no])
+	if test $ac_lib_ncurses = yes; then
+		ac_save_CFLAGS="$CFLAGS"
+		ac_save_LIBS="$LIBS"
+		CFLAGS="$NCURSES_CFLAGS $CFLAGS"
+		LIBS="$NCURSES_LIBS $LIBS"
+		AC_MSG_CHECKING([for linking ncurses])
+		AC_TRY_LINK([
+				#include <ncurses.h>
+			], [
+				initscr();
+				noecho();
+				curs_set(FALSE);
+				endwin();
+			],[ac_lib_ncurses=yes],[ac_lib_ncurses=no])
+                AC_MSG_RESULT([$ac_lib_ncurses])
+                CFLAGS="$ac_save_CFLAGS"
+                LIBS="$ac_save_LIBS"
+        fi
 elif test $ac_lib_ncurses = yes; then
-	AC_CHECK_LIB(
-		[ncurses],
-		[endwin],
-		[],
-		[AC_MSG_ERROR([the sLang library is missing])],
-		[]
-	)
+	PKG_CHECK_MODULES([NCURSES], [ncurses], [], AC_MSG_ERROR([the ncurses library is missing]))
 fi
 if test $ac_lib_ncurses = yes; then
 	ac_lib_video="$ac_lib_video ncurses"
 	ac_lib_text_flag=yes
 fi
+AC_SUBST([NCURSESCFLAGS],[$NCURSES_CFLAGS])
+AC_SUBST([NCURSESLIBS],[$NCURSES_LIBS])
 AC_SUBST([CONF_LIB_NCURSES],[$ac_lib_ncurses])
 
+
 dnl Checks for freetype
 AC_ARG_ENABLE(
 	[freetype],