diff --git a/doc/fixes34.3 b/doc/fixes34.3
index 0b15b81d7..867b689be 100644
--- a/doc/fixes34.3
+++ b/doc/fixes34.3
@@ -126,6 +126,7 @@ extend autodig to work downwards via '>'
 make attribute that is used to distinguish headings in a menu configurable
 add experimental build option AUTOPICKUP_EXCEPTIONS for filtering pickup of
 	items by pattern matching against their xname() description
+include version number in paniclog entries
 
 
 Platform- and/or Interface-Specific New Features
diff --git a/include/extern.h b/include/extern.h
index 6a59bb761..dd67363b5 100644
--- a/include/extern.h
+++ b/include/extern.h
@@ -2154,6 +2154,7 @@ E boolean NDECL(gd_sound);
 
 /* ### version.c ### */
 
+E char *FDECL(version_string, (char *));
 E char *FDECL(getversionstring, (char *));
 E int NDECL(doversion);
 E int NDECL(doextversion);
diff --git a/src/files.c b/src/files.c
index 5113cbb86..1cca1ca06 100644
--- a/src/files.c
+++ b/src/files.c
@@ -2267,20 +2267,23 @@ const char *dir;
 
 /*ARGSUSED*/
 void
-paniclog(why, s)
-const char* why;
-const char* s;
+paniclog(type, reason)
+const char *type;	/* panic, impossible, trickery */
+const char *reason;	/* explanation */
 {
 #ifdef PANICLOG
 	FILE *lfile;
+	char buf[BUFSZ];
 
 	lfile = fopen_datafile(PANICLOG, "a", TROUBLEPREFIX);
 	if (lfile) {
-	    (void) fprintf(lfile, "%08ld: %s %s\n",
-			   yyyymmdd((time_t)0L), why, s);
+	    (void) fprintf(lfile, "%s %08ld: %s %s\n",
+			   version_string(buf), yyyymmdd((time_t)0L),
+			   type, reason);
 	    (void) fclose(lfile);
 	}
 #endif /* PANICLOG */
+	return;
 }
 
 /* ----------  END PANIC/IMPOSSIBLE LOG ----------- */
diff --git a/src/version.c b/src/version.c
index 4712ff8da..50243c0bd 100644
--- a/src/version.c
+++ b/src/version.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/*	SCCS Id: @(#)version.c	3.4	2003/02/19	*/
+/*	SCCS Id: @(#)version.c	3.4	2003/11/22	*/
 /* Copyright (c) Stichting Mathematisch Centrum, Amsterdam, 1985. */
 /* NetHack may be freely redistributed.  See license for details. */
 
@@ -16,17 +16,25 @@
 
 /* #define BETA_INFO "" */
 
-/* fill and return the given buffer with the nethack version string */
+/* fill buffer with short version (so caller can avoid including date.h) */
+char *
+version_string(buf)
+char *buf;
+{
+	return strcpy(buf, VERSION_STRING);
+}
+
+/* fill and return the given buffer with the long nethack version string */
 char *
 getversionstring(buf)
 char *buf;
 {
-	 Strcpy(buf, VERSION_ID);
+	Strcpy(buf, VERSION_ID);
 #if defined(BETA) && defined(BETA_INFO)
-	 Sprintf(eos(buf), " %s", BETA_INFO);
+	Sprintf(eos(buf), " %s", BETA_INFO);
 #endif
 #if defined(RUNTIME_PORT_ID)
-	 append_port_id(buf);
+	append_port_id(buf);
 #endif
 	return buf;
 }