Game Description

In E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, you assume the role of E.T., a peaceful, gentle alien who is stranded on Earth. In order to return to your home planet, you must find the three pieces of the "interplanetary phone," hidden in various wells, while avoiding the scientist and FBI agent out to get you.

You start out with a limited amount of energy, but eating the candy you find scattered throughout the landscape will increase your vitality. Elliot, your young Earthling friend, will also make an appearance to lend you a hand.

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial is based on the Steven Spielberg feature film and features three different skill levels. ~ Skyler Miller, All Game Guide

Roots & Influences

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial hit theaters in 1982 and is one of the most commercially successful films of all time. Key performers include Dee Wallance and a very young Drew Barrymore. Debra Winger contributed to E.T.'s voice. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

Review: Enjoyment

The manual says it all: "A game ends when E.T. runs out of energy or when you decide to quit playing." ~ Skyler Miller, All Game Guide

Production Credits

Designer: Howard Scott Warshaw

Graphics: Jerome Domurat ~ Skyler Miller, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial is based on Steven Spielberg's wildly successful film, in which a benevolent, large-eyed alien became stranded on Earth and was befriended by a young boy named Elliot. By piecing together various pieces of electronic equipment, E.T. was able to "phone home" (talk about a long-distance phone call), and ultimately be rescued by his family.

Sounds like a simple enough premise, but the folks at Atari succeeded in turning it into one of the most complicated and convoluted games for the Atari 2600. Unlike most titles of the era, this isn't a game you can just pick up and start playing. The manual is not merely helpful, it is a necessity. Even after reading the instructions and the included tip sheet, it still takes quite a while before even the basic mechanics of the game begin to make sense.

The general premise has E.T. searching for pieces of a phone that he will use to call his alien buddies. In order to do this, you have to guide the little fellow through various screens while collecting "candy" (it seems Atari didn't want to license Reese's Pieces) and avoiding the "scientist" and "FBI agent."

Collecting the phone pieces involves standing in "power zones" and falling into wells. All of this is (sort of) loosely based on occurrences from the movie, but the manner in which you move and collect items is so non-intuitive that you'll probably find yourself enjoying the way E.T. goofily sticks up his head more than you will actually playing the game.

While complexity can often be a good thing, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial offers little reward for the hard work it takes to understand the game. After all, video games are supposed to be fun, and in the end, E.T. is more frustrating than challenging. It has its merits -- like a nice theme song and recognizable graphics -- but it's just the type of unimpressive game that helped usher in Atari's ultimate demise. ~ Skyler Miller, All Game Guide

Review: Graphics

Recognizable characters from the movie, with weak backgrounds. ~ Skyler Miller, All Game Guide

Review: Sound

The movie theme song plays during the title screen, but the in-game sound effects are rather lacking. ~ Skyler Miller, All Game Guide

Review: Replay Value

If you have enough willpower to "phone home" once, you probably won't want to do it again. ~ Skyler Miller, All Game Guide

Review: Documentation

The manual is complex and does its best to describe a convoluted game. A tip sheet is also included. ~ Skyler Miller, All Game Guide