diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/ccomplextest.i b/Examples/test-suite/ccomplextest.i
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4a2f68ff6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/ccomplextest.i
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+%module ccomplextest
+
+%include <complex.i>
+
+%{
+#include <complex.h>
+
+#if defined __STDC_VERSION__ && __STDC_VERSION__ >= 199001L
+#define HAS_C99_COMPLEX_FOR_TESTING 1
+#else
+/* complex not supported - hack tests to just test plain floating point numbers */
+/* some pre c99 compilers (gcc-4.x) don't define _Complex but do define complex */
+#define _Complex
+#if !defined(complex)
+#  define complex
+#endif
+#define conj
+#define conjf
+#if defined(I)
+#  undef I
+#  define I 1
+#endif
+#define HAS_C99_COMPLEX_FOR_TESTING 0
+#endif
+%}
+
+%inline
+{
+  int has_c99_complex(void) {
+    return HAS_C99_COMPLEX_FOR_TESTING;
+  }
+
+  complex double Conj(complex double a)
+  {
+    return conj(a);
+  }
+
+
+  complex float Conjf(complex float a)
+  {
+    return conjf(a);
+  }
+
+
+  double complex Conj1(double complex a)
+  {
+    return conj(a);
+  }
+
+
+  float complex Conjf1(float complex a)
+  {
+    return conjf(a);
+  }
+
+
+  _Complex double Conj2(_Complex double a)
+  {
+    return conj(a);
+  }
+
+
+  _Complex float Conjf2(_Complex float a)
+  {
+    return conjf(a);
+  }
+
+
+  double _Complex Conj3(double _Complex a)
+  {
+    return conj(a);
+  }
+
+
+  float _Complex Conjf3(float _Complex a)
+  {
+    return conjf(a);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/complextest.i b/Examples/test-suite/complextest.i
index 622b38058..6c7b1f44a 100644
--- a/Examples/test-suite/complextest.i
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/complextest.i
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 
 %include <complex.i>
 
-#ifdef __cplusplus
 %{
 #include <algorithm>
 #include <functional>
@@ -10,9 +9,7 @@
 %}
 %include <std_vector.i>
 
-#if 1
 %template(VectorStdCplx) std::vector<std::complex<double> >;
-#endif
 
 %inline
 {
@@ -63,63 +60,3 @@
   }
 }
 
-
-#else
-
-
-%{
-#include <complex.h>
-%}
-
-%inline
-{
-  complex double Conj(complex double a)
-  {
-    return conj(a);
-  }
-
-
-  complex float Conjf(complex float a)
-  {
-    return conjf(a);
-  }
-
-
-  double complex Conj1(double complex a)
-  {
-    return conj(a);
-  }
-
-
-  float complex Conjf1(float complex a)
-  {
-    return conjf(a);
-  }
-
-
-  _Complex double Conj2(_Complex double a)
-  {
-    return conj(a);
-  }
-
-
-  _Complex float Conjf2(_Complex float a)
-  {
-    return conjf(a);
-  }
-
-
-  double _Complex Conj3(double _Complex a)
-  {
-    return conj(a);
-  }
-
-
-  float _Complex Conjf3(float _Complex a)
-  {
-    return conjf(a);
-  }
-}
-
-
-#endif
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/javascript/Makefile.in b/Examples/test-suite/javascript/Makefile.in
index 4fab31206..d42ffec5a 100644
--- a/Examples/test-suite/javascript/Makefile.in
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/javascript/Makefile.in
@@ -13,6 +13,9 @@ srcdir       = @srcdir@
 top_srcdir   = @top_srcdir@
 top_builddir = @top_builddir@
 
+C_TEST_CASES += \
+	ccomplextest \
+
 SWIGEXE   = $(top_builddir)/swig
 SWIG_LIB_DIR = $(top_srcdir)/Lib
 
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/octave/Makefile.in b/Examples/test-suite/octave/Makefile.in
index 1d54a47bb..9602d85f5 100644
--- a/Examples/test-suite/octave/Makefile.in
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/octave/Makefile.in
@@ -29,14 +29,6 @@ CPP_TEST_BROKEN += \
 	li_std_set \
 	li_std_stream
 
-#C_TEST_CASES +=
-
-#
-# This test only works with modern C compilers
-#
-#C_TEST_CASES += \
-#	complextest
-
 include $(srcdir)/../common.mk
 
 # Overridden variables here
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/python/Makefile.in b/Examples/test-suite/python/Makefile.in
index 7ca98b3bc..c2528eb49 100644
--- a/Examples/test-suite/python/Makefile.in
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/python/Makefile.in
@@ -83,19 +83,13 @@ CPP11_TEST_CASES = \
 	cpp11_std_unordered_set \
 
 C_TEST_CASES += \
-	complextest \
+	ccomplextest \
 	file_test \
 	li_cstring \
 	li_cwstring \
 	python_nondynamic \
 	python_varargs_typemap \
 
-#
-# This test only works with modern C compilers
-#
-#C_TEST_CASES += \
-#	complextest
-
 include $(srcdir)/../common.mk
 
 # Overridden variables here
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/python/ccomplextest_runme.py b/Examples/test-suite/python/ccomplextest_runme.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..60b95458d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/python/ccomplextest_runme.py
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+import ccomplextest
+
+a = complex(-1, 2)
+
+if ccomplextest.has_c99_complex():
+    if ccomplextest.Conj(a) != a.conjugate():
+        raise RuntimeError("bad complex mapping")
+
+    if ccomplextest.Conjf(a) != a.conjugate():
+        raise RuntimeError("bad complex mapping")
+
+    if ccomplextest.Conj2(a) != a.conjugate():
+        raise RuntimeError("bad complex mapping")
+
+    if ccomplextest.Conjf2(a) != a.conjugate():
+        raise RuntimeError("bad complex mapping")
+
+    if ccomplextest.Conj3(a) != a.conjugate():
+        raise RuntimeError("bad complex mapping")
+
+    if ccomplextest.Conjf3(a) != a.conjugate():
+        raise RuntimeError("bad complex mapping")
+else:
+    print("Not a c99 compiler")
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/python/complextest_runme.py b/Examples/test-suite/python/complextest_runme.py
index 3eef2b2bc..1b9ad6629 100644
--- a/Examples/test-suite/python/complextest_runme.py
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/python/complextest_runme.py
@@ -14,26 +14,16 @@ if complextest.Conj2(a) != a.conjugate():
 if complextest.Conjf2(a) != a.conjugate():
     raise RuntimeError("bad complex mapping")
 
-if 'Conj3' in dir(complextest):
-    if complextest.Conj3(a) != a.conjugate():
-        raise RuntimeError("bad complex mapping")
+v = (complex(1, 2), complex(2, 3), complex(4, 3), 1)
 
-if 'Conjf3' in dir(complextest):
-    if complextest.Conjf3(a) != a.conjugate():
-        raise RuntimeError("bad complex mapping")
+if len(complextest.CopyHalf(v)) != 2:
+    raise RuntimeError("CopyHalf failed")
 
-if 'CopyHalf' in dir(complextest):
+if len(complextest.CopyHalfRef(v)) != 2:
+    raise RuntimeError("CopyHalfRef failed")
 
-    v = (complex(1, 2), complex(2, 3), complex(4, 3), 1)
-
-    if len(complextest.CopyHalf(v)) != 2:
-        raise RuntimeError("CopyHalf failed")
-
-    if len(complextest.CopyHalfRef(v)) != 2:
-        raise RuntimeError("CopyHalfRef failed")
-
-    p = complextest.ComplexPair()
-    p.z1 = complex(0, 1)
-    p.z2 = complex(0, -1)
-    if complextest.Conj(p.z2) != p.z1:
-        raise RuntimeError("bad complex mapping")
+p = complextest.ComplexPair()
+p.z1 = complex(0, 1)
+p.z2 = complex(0, -1)
+if complextest.Conj(p.z2) != p.z1:
+    raise RuntimeError("bad complex mapping")