diff --git a/programs/Makefile b/programs/Makefile
index 6e9d6b56f..49061f945 100644
--- a/programs/Makefile
+++ b/programs/Makefile
@@ -169,77 +169,7 @@ test32: test-zstd32 test-fullbench32 test-fuzzer32 test-zbuff32
 test-all: test test32 valgrindTest
 
 zstd-playTests: datagen
-	@echo "\n**** frame concatenation **** "
-	@echo "hello " > hello.tmp
-	@echo "world!" > world.tmp
-	@cat hello.tmp world.tmp > helloworld.tmp
-	$(ZSTD) hello.tmp > hello.zstd
-	$(ZSTD) world.tmp > world.zstd
-	@cat hello.zstd world.zstd > helloworld.zstd
-	$(ZSTD) -df helloworld.zstd > result.tmp
-	cat result.tmp
-	sdiff helloworld.tmp result.tmp
-	@rm *.tmp *.zstd
-	@echo frame concatenation test completed
-	@echo "**** flush write error test **** "
-	echo foo | $(ZSTD) > /dev/full; if [ $$? -eq 0 ] ; then echo "write error not detected!"; false; fi
-	echo foo | $(ZSTD) | $(ZSTD) -d > /dev/full; if [ $$? -eq 0 ] ; then echo "write error not detected!"; false; fi
-	@echo "**** zstd round-trip tests **** "
-	@./datagen             | md5sum > tmp1
-	./datagen              | $(ZSTD) -v    | $(ZSTD) -d  | md5sum > tmp2
-	@diff tmp1 tmp2   
-	./datagen              | $(ZSTD) -6 -v | $(ZSTD) -d  | md5sum > tmp2
-	@diff tmp1 tmp2   
-	@./datagen -g270000000 | md5sum > tmp1
-	./datagen -g270000000  | $(ZSTD) -v    | $(ZSTD) -d  | md5sum > tmp2
-	@diff tmp1 tmp2   
-	./datagen -g270000000  | $(ZSTD) -v2   | $(ZSTD) -d  | md5sum > tmp2
-	@diff tmp1 tmp2   
-	./datagen -g270000000  | $(ZSTD) -v3   | $(ZSTD) -d  | md5sum > tmp2
-	@diff tmp1 tmp2   
-	@./datagen -g140000000 -P60| md5sum > tmp1
-	./datagen -g140000000 -P60 | $(ZSTD) -v4   | $(ZSTD) -d  | md5sum > tmp2
-	@diff tmp1 tmp2   
-	./datagen -g140000000 -P60 | $(ZSTD) -v5   | $(ZSTD) -d  | md5sum > tmp2
-	@diff tmp1 tmp2   
-	./datagen -g140000000 -P60 | $(ZSTD) -v6   | $(ZSTD) -d  | md5sum > tmp2
-	@diff tmp1 tmp2   
-	@./datagen -g70000000 -P70 | md5sum > tmp1
-	./datagen -g70000000 -P70  | $(ZSTD) -v7   | $(ZSTD) -d  | md5sum > tmp2
-	@diff tmp1 tmp2   
-	./datagen -g70000000 -P70  | $(ZSTD) -v8   | $(ZSTD) -d  | md5sum > tmp2
-	@diff tmp1 tmp2   
-	./datagen -g70000000 -P70  | $(ZSTD) -v9   | $(ZSTD) -d  | md5sum > tmp2
-	@diff tmp1 tmp2   
-	@./datagen -g35000000 -P75 | md5sum > tmp1
-	./datagen -g35000000 -P75  | $(ZSTD) -v10  | $(ZSTD) -d  | md5sum > tmp2
-	@diff tmp1 tmp2   
-	./datagen -g35000000 -P75  | $(ZSTD) -v11  | $(ZSTD) -d  | md5sum > tmp2
-	@diff tmp1 tmp2   
-	./datagen -g35000000 -P75  | $(ZSTD) -v12  | $(ZSTD) -d  | md5sum > tmp2
-	@diff tmp1 tmp2   
-	@./datagen -g18000000 -P80 | md5sum > tmp1
-	./datagen -g18000000 -P80  | $(ZSTD) -v13  | $(ZSTD) -d  | md5sum > tmp2
-	@diff tmp1 tmp2   
-	./datagen -g18000000 -P80  | $(ZSTD) -v14  | $(ZSTD) -d  | md5sum > tmp2
-	@diff tmp1 tmp2   
-	./datagen -g18000000 -P80  | $(ZSTD) -v15  | $(ZSTD) -d  | md5sum > tmp2
-	@diff tmp1 tmp2   
-	./datagen -g18000000 -P80  | $(ZSTD) -v16  | $(ZSTD) -d  | md5sum > tmp2
-	@diff tmp1 tmp2   
-	./datagen -g18000000 -P80  | $(ZSTD) -v17  | $(ZSTD) -d  | md5sum > tmp2
-	@diff tmp1 tmp2   
-	@./datagen -g50000000 -P94 | md5sum > tmp1
-	./datagen -g50000000 -P94  | $(ZSTD) -v18  | $(ZSTD) -d  | md5sum > tmp2
-	@diff tmp1 tmp2   
-	./datagen -g50000000 -P94  | $(ZSTD) -v19  | $(ZSTD) -d  | md5sum > tmp2
-	@diff tmp1 tmp2   
-	@./datagen -g99000000 -P99 | md5sum > tmp1
-	./datagen -g99000000 -P99  | $(ZSTD) -v20  | $(ZSTD) -d  | md5sum > tmp2
-	@diff tmp1 tmp2   
-	./datagen -g6000000000 -P99| md5sum > tmp1
-	./datagen -g6000000000 -P99| $(ZSTD) -vq   | $(ZSTD) -d  | md5sum > tmp2
-	@diff tmp1 tmp2   
+	ZSTD=$(ZSTD) ./playTests.sh --test-large-data
 
 test-zstd: ZSTD = ./zstd
 test-zstd: zstd zstd-playTests
diff --git a/programs/playTests.sh b/programs/playTests.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..56327ff70
--- /dev/null
+++ b/programs/playTests.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+#!/bin/sh -e
+
+die() {
+    echo "$@" 1>&2
+    exit 1
+}
+
+roundTripTest() {
+    if [ -n "$3" ]; then
+        local c="$3"
+        local p="$2"
+    else
+        local c="$2"
+    fi
+
+    rm -f tmp1 tmp2
+    echo "roundTripTest: ./datagen $1 $p | $ZSTD -v$c | $ZSTD -d"
+    ./datagen $1 $p | md5sum > tmp1
+    ./datagen $1 $p | $ZSTD -v$c | $ZSTD -d  | md5sum > tmp2
+    diff -q tmp1 tmp2
+}
+
+[ -n "$ZSTD" ] || die "ZSTD variable must be defined!"
+
+printf "\n**** frame concatenation **** "
+
+echo "hello " > hello.tmp
+echo "world!" > world.tmp
+cat hello.tmp world.tmp > helloworld.tmp
+$ZSTD hello.tmp > hello.zstd
+$ZSTD world.tmp > world.zstd
+cat hello.zstd world.zstd > helloworld.zstd
+$ZSTD -df helloworld.zstd > result.tmp
+cat result.tmp
+sdiff helloworld.tmp result.tmp
+rm ./*.tmp ./*.zstd
+
+echo frame concatenation test completed
+
+echo "**** flush write error test **** "
+
+echo foo | $ZSTD > /dev/full && die "write error not detected!"
+echo foo | $ZSTD | $ZSTD -d > /dev/full && die "write error not detected!"
+
+echo "**** zstd round-trip tests **** "
+
+roundTripTest
+roundTripTest '' 6
+
+if [ "$1" != "--test-large-data" ]; then
+    echo "Skipping large data tests"
+    exit 0
+fi
+
+roundTripTest -g270000000 1
+roundTripTest -g270000000 2
+roundTripTest -g270000000 3
+
+roundTripTest -g140000000 -P60 4
+roundTripTest -g140000000 -P60 5
+roundTripTest -g140000000 -P60 6
+
+roundTripTest -g70000000 -P70 7
+roundTripTest -g70000000 -P70 8
+roundTripTest -g70000000 -P70 9
+
+roundTripTest -g35000000 -P75 10
+roundTripTest -g35000000 -P75 11
+roundTripTest -g35000000 -P75 12
+
+roundTripTest -g18000000 -P80 13
+roundTripTest -g18000000 -P80 14
+roundTripTest -g18000000 -P80 15
+roundTripTest -g18000000 -P80 16
+roundTripTest -g18000000 -P80 17
+
+roundTripTest -g50000000 -P94 18
+roundTripTest -g50000000 -P94 19
+
+roundTripTest -g99000000 -P99 20
+roundTripTest -g6000000000 -P99 q