kopete doesn't notify me of new messages any more

I'm using the kopete version provided with the kdenetwork-3.5.2 gentoo
package.

with KDE 3.4, the control bar started blinking when I got a message in
an already open chat window in ICQ.
With the new version, it doesn't, which is quite annoying, as I don't
see replies any more without directly switching to the appropriate
virtual desktop.

I can configure kopete to present me a small window notifying me, but I
like the old style much better.
"Classic", "transparent" or "elegant" control bar style don't affect
this behaviour.

Did anybody experience similar problems, or does anybody have a solution?