diff --git a/lib/util.js b/lib/util.js
index f8b7cc5..ad42769 100644
--- a/lib/util.js
+++ b/lib/util.js
@@ -80,6 +80,8 @@ exports.secureFallback = function( val )
     }
 
     secure_fallback = !!val;
+    exports.defineSecureProp = getDefineSecureProp();
+
     return exports;
 };
 
@@ -96,32 +98,7 @@ exports.secureFallback = function( val )
  *
  * @return  {undefined}
  */
-exports.defineSecureProp = function( obj, prop, value )
-{
-    if ( secure_fallback )
-    {
-        obj[ prop ] = value;
-    }
-    else
-    {
-        try
-        {
-            Object.defineProperty( obj, prop,
-            {
-                value: value,
-
-                enumerable:   false,
-                writable:     false,
-                configurable: false,
-            });
-        }
-        catch ( e )
-        {
-            // if there's an error (ehem, IE8), fall back
-            obj[ prop ] = value;
-        }
-    }
-}
+exports.defineSecureProp = getDefineSecureProp();
 
 
 /**
@@ -479,3 +456,51 @@ exports.arrayShrink = function( items )
     return arr_new;
 }
 
+
+/**
+ * Appropriately returns defineSecureProp implementation to avoid check on each
+ * invocation
+ *
+ * @return  {function( Object, string, * )}
+ */
+function getDefineSecureProp()
+{
+    // falls back to simply defining a normal property
+    var fallback = function( obj, prop, value )
+    {
+        obj[ prop ] = value;
+    };
+
+    if ( secure_fallback )
+    {
+        return fallback;
+    }
+    else
+    {
+        // uses ECMAScript 5's Object.defineProperty() method
+        return function( obj, prop, value )
+        {
+            try
+            {
+                Object.defineProperty( obj, prop,
+                {
+                    value: value,
+
+                    enumerable:   false,
+                    writable:     false,
+                    configurable: false,
+                });
+            }
+            catch ( e )
+            {
+                // let's not have this happen again, as repeatedly throwing
+                // exceptions will do nothing but slow down the system
+                exports.secureFallback( true );
+
+                // if there's an error (ehem, IE8), fall back
+                fallback( obj, prop, value );
+            }
+        };
+    }
+}
+
diff --git a/test/common.js b/test/common.js
index f432d64..c6967d7 100644
--- a/test/common.js
+++ b/test/common.js
@@ -22,5 +22,25 @@
  * @package test
  */
 
-require.paths.unshift( __dirname + '/../lib' );
+/**
+ * Library path
+ * @type  {string}
+ */
+exports.PATH_LIB = require( 'path' ).normalize( __dirname + '/../lib' );
+
+
+/**
+ * Returns requested module from the library path
+ *
+ * This method abstracts require() implementation so that the tests may be more
+ * easily implemented elsewhere (e.g. client-side)
+ *
+ * @param  {string}  module  module id
+ *
+ * @return  {Object}  module exports
+ */
+exports.require = function( module )
+{
+    return require( exports.PATH_LIB + '/' + module );
+}
 
diff --git a/test/test-class-abstract.js b/test/test-class-abstract.js
index 732ec7f..b8eb4ce 100644
--- a/test/test-class-abstract.js
+++ b/test/test-class-abstract.js
@@ -22,12 +22,11 @@
  * @package test
  */
 
-require( './common' );
-
-var assert         = require( 'assert' ),
-    Class          = require( '../lib/class' ),
-    abstractMethod = require( '../lib/class' ).abstractMethod,
-    util           = require( '../lib/util' );
+var common = require( './common' ),
+    assert         = require( 'assert' ),
+    Class          = common.require( 'class' ),
+    abstractMethod = common.require( 'class' ).abstractMethod,
+    util           = common.require( 'util' );
 
 // not abstract
 var Foo = Class.extend( {} );
diff --git a/test/test-class-constructor.js b/test/test-class-constructor.js
index dc792d9..86f7db2 100644
--- a/test/test-class-constructor.js
+++ b/test/test-class-constructor.js
@@ -22,10 +22,9 @@
  * @package test
  */
 
-require( './common' );
-
-var assert = require( 'assert' ),
-    Class  = require( 'class' );
+var common = require( './common' ),
+    assert = require( 'assert' ),
+    Class  = common.require( 'class' );
 
 // these two variables are declared outside of the class to ensure that they
 // will still be set even if the context of the constructor is wrong
diff --git a/test/test-class-extend.js b/test/test-class-extend.js
index 92771bd..3a5f3f3 100644
--- a/test/test-class-extend.js
+++ b/test/test-class-extend.js
@@ -22,10 +22,9 @@
  * @package test
  */
 
-require( './common' );
-
-var assert = require( 'assert' ),
-    Class  = require( 'class' );
+var common = require( './common' ),
+    assert = require( 'assert' ),
+    Class  = common.require( 'class' );
 
 var foo_props = {
         one: 1,
diff --git a/test/test-class-gettersetter.js b/test/test-class-gettersetter.js
index 5d2d663..2dd5672 100644
--- a/test/test-class-gettersetter.js
+++ b/test/test-class-gettersetter.js
@@ -28,10 +28,9 @@ if ( Object.prototype.__defineGetter__ === undefined )
     return;
 }
 
-require( './common' );
-
-var assert = require( 'assert' ),
-    Class  = require( 'class' );
+var common = require( './common' ),
+    assert = require( 'assert' ),
+    Class  = common.require( 'class' );
 
 
 var Foo = Class.extend(
diff --git a/test/test-class-parent.js b/test/test-class-parent.js
index e05be78..8744957 100644
--- a/test/test-class-parent.js
+++ b/test/test-class-parent.js
@@ -22,10 +22,9 @@
  * @package test
  */
 
-require( './common' );
-
-var assert = require( 'assert' ),
-    Class  = require( 'class' );
+var common = require( './common' ),
+    assert = require( 'assert' ),
+    Class  = common.require( 'class' );
 
 var Foo = Class.extend(
 {
diff --git a/test/test-class.js b/test/test-class.js
index 1e29952..c5bf524 100644
--- a/test/test-class.js
+++ b/test/test-class.js
@@ -22,10 +22,9 @@
  * @package test
  */
 
-require( './common' );
-
-var assert = require( 'assert' ),
-    Class  = require( 'class' );
+var common = require( './common' ),
+    assert = require( 'assert' ),
+    Class  = common.require( 'class' );
 
 
 assert.ok(
diff --git a/test/test-combine.js b/test/test-combine.js
index 0cf4dc6..2cd9541 100644
--- a/test/test-combine.js
+++ b/test/test-combine.js
@@ -22,10 +22,9 @@
  * @package test
  */
 
-require( './common' );
-
-var assert  = require( 'assert' ),
-    Class   = require( 'class' ),
+var common  = require( './common' ),
+    assert  = require( 'assert' ),
+    Class   = common.require( 'class' ),
     Script  = process.binding( 'evals' ).Script,
     sandbox = {};
 
diff --git a/test/test-index.js b/test/test-index.js
index b130160..c5c666a 100644
--- a/test/test-index.js
+++ b/test/test-index.js
@@ -22,10 +22,9 @@
  * @package test
  */
 
-require( './common' );
-
-var assert = require( 'assert' ),
-    Class  = require( 'class' ),
+var common = require( './common' ),
+    assert = require( 'assert' ),
+    Class  = common.require( 'class' ),
     index  = require( '../' );
 
 
diff --git a/test/test-interface-extend.js b/test/test-interface-extend.js
index c08f2fc..e5b6604 100644
--- a/test/test-interface-extend.js
+++ b/test/test-interface-extend.js
@@ -22,10 +22,9 @@
  * @package test
  */
 
-require( './common' );
-
-var assert         = require( 'assert' ),
-    Interface      = require( 'interface' ),
+var common         = require( './common' ),
+    assert         = require( 'assert' ),
+    Interface      = common.require( 'interface' ),
     abstractMethod = Interface.abstractMethod;
 
 
diff --git a/test/test-interface.js b/test/test-interface.js
index b6a37cb..8eb8507 100644
--- a/test/test-interface.js
+++ b/test/test-interface.js
@@ -22,10 +22,9 @@
  * @package test
  */
 
-require( './common' );
-
-var assert         = require( 'assert' ),
-    Interface      = require( 'interface' ),
+var common         = require( './common' ),
+    assert         = require( 'assert' ),
+    Interface      = common.require( 'interface' ),
     abstractMethod = Interface.abstractMethod;
 
 var FooType = Interface.extend();
diff --git a/test/test-util-clone.js b/test/test-util-clone.js
index c9f704b..f49c090 100644
--- a/test/test-util-clone.js
+++ b/test/test-util-clone.js
@@ -22,10 +22,9 @@
  * @package test
  */
 
-require( './common' );
-
-var assert = require( 'assert' ),
-    util   = require( '../lib/util' );
+var common = require( './common' ),
+    assert = require( 'assert' ),
+    util   = common.require( 'util' );
 
 var arr = [ 1, 2, 3 ],
     obj = { a: 1, b: 2 };
diff --git a/test/test-util-define-secure-prop.js b/test/test-util-define-secure-prop.js
index d9d1cb8..8cf4da4 100644
--- a/test/test-util-define-secure-prop.js
+++ b/test/test-util-define-secure-prop.js
@@ -22,10 +22,9 @@
  * @package test
  */
 
-require( './common' );
-
-var assert = require( 'assert' ),
-    util   = require( '../lib/util' );
+var common = require( './common' ),
+    assert = require( 'assert' ),
+    util   = common.require( 'util' );
 
 var obj = {},
     val = 'bar';
diff --git a/test/test-util-prop-copy.js b/test/test-util-prop-copy.js
index 1b3ce20..f9c00b8 100644
--- a/test/test-util-prop-copy.js
+++ b/test/test-util-prop-copy.js
@@ -22,10 +22,9 @@
  * @package test
  */
 
-require( './common' );
-
-var assert   = require( 'assert' ),
-    propCopy = require( '../lib/util' ).propCopy;
+var common   = require( './common' ),
+    assert   = require( 'assert' ),
+    propCopy = common.require( 'util' ).propCopy;
 
 var props = {
     one: 1,
diff --git a/test/test-util-prop-parse.js b/test/test-util-prop-parse.js
index d380477..7527790 100644
--- a/test/test-util-prop-parse.js
+++ b/test/test-util-prop-parse.js
@@ -22,10 +22,9 @@
  * @package test
  */
 
-require( './common' );
-
-var assert = require( 'assert' ),
-    util   = require( '../lib/util' );
+var common   = require( './common' ),
+    assert = require( 'assert' ),
+    util   = common.require( 'util' );
 
 var data = {
     // scalars (properties)