diff --git a/kernel/PkgLoader.st b/kernel/PkgLoader.st
index 2118433..475d544 100644
--- a/kernel/PkgLoader.st
+++ b/kernel/PkgLoader.st
@@ -1106,6 +1106,14 @@ Namespace current: Kernel [
 Object subclass: Version [
     | major minor patch |
 
+    Version class >> fromString: aString [
+	<category: 'instance creation'>
+
+	| result |
+	[ result := aString searchRegex: '^(\d+)\.(\d+)(?:\.(\d+))?' ] on: Error do: [ :ex | self error: 'Bad version format ', aString, ' should be xx.yy(.zz)' ].
+	^ self major: result first asInteger minor: result second asInteger patch: (result third ifNil: [ 0 ] ifNotNil: [ result third asInteger ])
+    ]
+
     Version class >> major: major minor: minor patch: patch [
 	<category: 'instance creation'>
 
@@ -1519,9 +1527,7 @@ XML.'>
     parseVersion: aString [
 	<category: 'version parsing'>
 
-	| tokens |
-	(tokens := aString tokenize: '\.') size = 3 ifFalse: [ self error: 'Bad version string : ', aString, ' should be xx.yy.zz' ].
-	self version: (Version major: tokens first asInteger minor: tokens second asInteger patch: tokens third asInteger)
+	self version: (Version fromString: aString)
     ]
 
     primFileIn [