DESCRIPTION

Loosely based on the 1982 movie directed by Steven Spielberg, Escape from Planet Earth has players solving various puzzles to collect pieces of a device E.T. needs to "phone home." The game begins with an overhead view of a neighborhood marked by symbols. By riding his bike into a symbol, Elliot will activate a puzzle to complete. In total, there are 140 puzzles to solve and 60 environments to traverse.

Each puzzle is played from a top-down perspective as E.T. or Elliot searches for a way to obtain the item needed. A fixed number of icons are strategically placed on the screen and are used to get past obstacles. Icons include freezing a block of water, moving rocks, putting enemies to sleep, floating over objects, and turning invisible. Each icon can only be used once, so care must be taken before activating it.

Puzzle screens are also filled with creatures such as scorpions, spiders, and bears. Players must guide their character past these threats or be forced to start the puzzle over again. Once players have collected a sufficient number of items, they can trade them at a nearby tree house for one of the five pieces of the communicator. Progress during the game can be saved at any time via battery backup. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide