Stranded on Earth, E.T. is determined to get back home again! First he must make contact with his people, and for that he must build a "telephone" capable of making interstellar calls. Then, he must find the right spot for optimum communication. Finally, with his return flight on the way, he must reach the landing site in the forest, before the timer runs out. If you help E.T. succeed at all of these tasks, he will be on his way home again, while you score big points! None of this will be easy, though. The government knows an alien is town, and they are determined to keep him on Earth. Fortunately, E.T. has also made a new friend, a boy named Elliott. Elliott can help E.T. gather pieces for his telephone, and can even help keep E.T. alive!
The story takes place in a world of six areas. E.T. begins in the forest area, where his ship has just left him. Four other areas are dotted with pits, where E.T. can find the three pieces needed to build his telephone. The fifth area is the city, where two government buildings and Elliott's house are located. Each area is connected to four other areas. Those other areas can be reached by walking to the edge of the area at the top, bottom, or to either side. As E.T. walks around the world, he uses his energy. E.T.'s remaining energy is shown in a counter at the bottom of the screen. E.T. must find his way home again before he runs out of energy, or the game is over!
E.T.'s quest could be thwarted by the government agents on his trail. The FBI man will steal pieces of E.T.'s phone, forcing E.T. to go look for them again. The scientist will carry E.T. back to the city, making E.T. lose valuable time and energy. E.T.'s friend Elliott, however, is here to help, and has left pieces of candy in the different areas, which E.T. can then eat to keep his energy up, or trade back to Elliott for another piece of the telephone. Note that if the FBI agent catches E.T. without any telephone pieces, the agent will take E.T.'s candy instead!
Normally E.T. walks with a slow pace, but he can use his special power to run much more quickly. To make E.T. run, simply hold the joystick button down while he is walking. Also, as E.T. explores his world, he will move through different zones. Every area has several different zones, with each zone represented by an icon at the top of the screen. Different zones have different benefits, which E.T. can take advantage of also by using his power. Simply press the joystick button while E.T. is standing still in the zone. The different zones are:
| Arrow | Here E.T. can teleport to the area represented by the arrow. For example, if E.T. is in one of the areas with pits, a "down arrow" zone will let him teleport into the city. |
| "?" | There is one "?" zone in each of the four areas with pits. When E.T. uses his power here, he can detect if a pit in the area is hiding a piece of his telephone. Note that an area can have more than one telephone piece, but only one piece is detectable at a time. |
| Building | Using E.T.'s power in this zone will throw off any government agent currently chasing him. Be aware the effect is only temporary! This zone also works on Elliott, so make sure that is really what you want before sending Elliott away. |
| Mouth | E.T. will eat one piece of candy every time he uses his power in this zone. Obviously he will need to collect candy first. |
| "e" | E.T. can call Elliott in this zone. Elliott will then come and take any candy E.T. has collected. If E.T. gives Elliott nine pieces of candy, Elliott will later return with a piece of the telephone. |
| E.T.'s head | This is the spot for E.T. to make his phone call. Once E.T. has completed his telephone and then uses his power in this zone, his people will be on the way and the timer will start. There is only one of these zones in the whole world, so look carefully. |
| Target | This zone only appears in the forest, and is the landing site for E.T.'s return flight home. E.T. must be standing in this zone, with no one else in the forest, when the timer hits zero. If he is successful, the ship will come and whisk him away! But if he fails, he will have to make another call. |
Keep in mind that using E.T.'s power requires energy just like walking does. Be sure not let his energy reach zero! If it does, Elliott will appear to revive his friend and give him a second chance. But Elliott can only do this a couple of times. If E.T. can't make it back home even then, the game will be over.
If E.T. successfully leaves Earth, you will earn points based on your performance. You can then try again to help E.T. home, for an even bigger score. As long as you keep successfully guiding E.T. back home, your score will keep adding up. Good luck!