diff --git a/bencode/both_test.go b/bencode/both_test.go
index 837e6115..a000f35b 100644
--- a/bencode/both_test.go
+++ b/bencode/both_test.go
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ package bencode
 import "testing"
 import "bytes"
 import "io/ioutil"
-import "time"
 
 func load_file(name string, t *testing.T) []byte {
 	data, err := ioutil.ReadFile(name)
@@ -13,8 +12,8 @@ func load_file(name string, t *testing.T) []byte {
 	return data
 }
 
-func TestBothInterface(t *testing.T) {
-	data1 := load_file("_testdata/archlinux-2011.08.19-netinstall-i686.iso.torrent", t)
+func test_file_interface(t *testing.T, filename string) {
+	data1 := load_file(filename, t)
 	var iface interface{}
 
 	err := Unmarshal(data1, &iface)
@@ -30,6 +29,12 @@ func TestBothInterface(t *testing.T) {
 	if !bytes.Equal(data1, data2) {
 		t.Fatalf("equality expected\n")
 	}
+
+}
+
+func TestBothInterface(t *testing.T) {
+	test_file_interface(t, "_testdata/archlinux-2011.08.19-netinstall-i686.iso.torrent")
+	test_file_interface(t, "_testdata/continuum.torrent")
 }
 
 type torrent_file struct {
@@ -50,8 +55,8 @@ type torrent_file struct {
 	URLList      interface{} `bencode:"url-list,omitempty"`
 }
 
-func TestBoth(t *testing.T) {
-	data1 := load_file("_testdata/archlinux-2011.08.19-netinstall-i686.iso.torrent", t)
+func test_file(t *testing.T, filename string) {
+	data1 := load_file(filename, t)
 	var f torrent_file
 
 	err := Unmarshal(data1, &f)
@@ -59,19 +64,17 @@ func TestBoth(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
-	t.Logf("Name: %s\n", f.Info.Name)
-	t.Logf("Length: %v bytes\n", f.Info.Length)
-	t.Logf("Announce: %s\n", f.Announce)
-	t.Logf("CreationDate: %s\n", time.Unix(f.CreationDate, 0).String())
-	t.Logf("CreatedBy: %s\n", f.CreatedBy)
-	t.Logf("Comment: %s\n", f.Comment)
-
 	data2, err := Marshal(&f)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
 
 	if !bytes.Equal(data1, data2) {
+		println(string(data2))
 		t.Fatalf("equality expected")
 	}
 }
+
+func TestBoth(t *testing.T) {
+	test_file(t, "_testdata/archlinux-2011.08.19-netinstall-i686.iso.torrent")
+}
diff --git a/bencode/decode.go b/bencode/decode.go
index 903dfe4a..72251e50 100644
--- a/bencode/decode.go
+++ b/bencode/decode.go
@@ -319,20 +319,105 @@ func (d *decoder) parse_list(v reflect.Value) {
 	}
 }
 
+func (d *decoder) read_one_value() bool {
+	b, err := d.ReadByte()
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+	if b == 'e' {
+		d.UnreadByte()
+		return false
+	} else {
+		d.offset++
+		d.buf.WriteByte(b)
+	}
+
+	switch b {
+	case 'd', 'l':
+		// read until there is nothing to read
+		for d.read_one_value() {}
+		// consume 'e' as well
+		b = d.read_byte()
+		d.buf.WriteByte(b)
+	case 'i':
+		d.read_until('e')
+		d.buf.WriteString("e")
+	default:
+		if b >= '0' && b <= '9' {
+			start := d.buf.Len() - 1
+			d.read_until(':')
+			length, err := strconv.ParseInt(d.buf.String()[start:], 10, 64)
+			check_for_int_parse_error(err, d.offset - 1)
+
+			d.buf.WriteString(":")
+			n, err := io.CopyN(&d.buf, d, length)
+			d.offset += n
+			if err != nil {
+				check_for_unexpected_eof(err, d.offset)
+				panic(&SyntaxError{
+					Offset: d.offset,
+					what:   "unexpected I/O error: " + err.Error(),
+				})
+			}
+			break
+		}
+
+		// unknown value
+		panic(&SyntaxError{
+			Offset: d.offset - 1,
+			what:   "unknown value type (invalid bencode?)",
+		})
+	}
+
+	return true
+
+}
+
+func (d *decoder) parse_unmarshaler(v reflect.Value) bool {
+	m, ok := v.Interface().(Unmarshaler)
+	if !ok {
+		// T doesn't work, try *T
+		if v.Kind() != reflect.Ptr && v.CanAddr() {
+			m, ok = v.Addr().Interface().(Unmarshaler)
+			if ok {
+				v = v.Addr()
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	if ok && (v.Kind() != reflect.Ptr || !v.IsNil()) {
+		if d.read_one_value() {
+			err := m.UnmarshalBencode(d.buf.Bytes())
+			d.buf.Reset()
+			if err != nil {
+				panic(err)
+			}
+			return true
+		}
+		d.buf.Reset()
+	}
+
+	return false
+}
+
 // returns true if there was a value and it's now stored in 'v', otherwise there
 // was an end symbol ("e") and no value was stored
 func (d *decoder) parse_value(v reflect.Value) bool {
-	if pv := v; pv.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
+	// we support one level of indirection at the moment
+	if v.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
 		// if the pointer is nil, allocate a new element of the type it
 		// points to
-		if pv.IsNil() {
-			pv.Set(reflect.New(pv.Type().Elem()))
+		if v.IsNil() {
+			v.Set(reflect.New(v.Type().Elem()))
 		}
-		v = pv.Elem()
+		v = v.Elem()
 	}
 
-	// common case
-	if v.Kind() == reflect.Interface {
+	if d.parse_unmarshaler(v) {
+		return true
+	}
+
+	// common case: interface{}
+	if v.Kind() == reflect.Interface && v.NumMethod() == 0 {
 		iface, _ := d.parse_value_interface()
 		v.Set(reflect.ValueOf(iface))
 		return true
diff --git a/bencode/decode_test.go b/bencode/decode_test.go
index 4f06f391..b0714a74 100644
--- a/bencode/decode_test.go
+++ b/bencode/decode_test.go
@@ -34,3 +34,44 @@ func TestRandomDecode(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func check_error(t *testing.T, err error) {
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Error(err)
+	}
+}
+
+func assert_equal(t *testing.T, x, y interface{}) {
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(x, y) {
+		t.Errorf("got: %v (%T), expected: %v (%T)\n", x, x, y, y)
+	}
+}
+
+type unmarshaler_int struct {
+	x int
+}
+
+func (this *unmarshaler_int) UnmarshalBencode(data []byte) error {
+	return Unmarshal(data, &this.x)
+}
+
+type unmarshaler_string struct {
+	x string
+}
+
+func (this *unmarshaler_string) UnmarshalBencode(data []byte) error {
+	this.x = string(data)
+	return nil
+}
+
+func TestUnmarshalerBencode(t *testing.T) {
+	var i unmarshaler_int
+	var ss []unmarshaler_string
+	check_error(t, Unmarshal([]byte("i71e"), &i))
+	assert_equal(t, i.x, 71)
+	check_error(t, Unmarshal([]byte("l5:hello5:fruit3:waye"), &ss))
+	assert_equal(t, ss[0].x, "5:hello")
+	assert_equal(t, ss[1].x, "5:fruit")
+	assert_equal(t, ss[2].x, "3:way")
+
+}
diff --git a/bencode/encode.go b/bencode/encode.go
index 4a6eea17..196aa095 100644
--- a/bencode/encode.go
+++ b/bencode/encode.go
@@ -78,13 +78,12 @@ func (e *encoder) reflect_byte_slice(s []byte) {
 	e.write(s)
 }
 
-func (e *encoder) reflect_value(v reflect.Value) {
-	if !v.IsValid() {
-		return
-	}
-
+// returns true if the value implements Marshaler interface and marshaling was
+// done successfully
+func (e *encoder) reflect_marshaler(v reflect.Value) bool {
 	m, ok := v.Interface().(Marshaler)
 	if !ok {
+		// T doesn't work, try *T
 		if v.Kind() != reflect.Ptr && v.CanAddr() {
 			m, ok = v.Addr().Interface().(Marshaler)
 			if ok {
@@ -98,6 +97,18 @@ func (e *encoder) reflect_value(v reflect.Value) {
 			panic(&MarshalerError{v.Type(), err})
 		}
 		e.write(data)
+		return true
+	}
+
+	return false
+}
+
+func (e *encoder) reflect_value(v reflect.Value) {
+	if !v.IsValid() {
+		return
+	}
+
+	if e.reflect_marshaler(v) {
 		return
 	}