[quote name='javeryh']I tried EEE and I don't get it. Oh well, looks like I need to spend a little more time with it.[/quote]
There isn't much to get. You blow your ship up near a group of enemies to set off a chain reaction using one of your lives. Bigger the chain, the more points you score. Hit a certain number of points to gain lives (extends) back.
Destroying pink enemies yeilds quicken items which speed up gameplay. Pick up 6 to 8 max (to get 7 or 8 quickens you must have your last three quickens floating on the screen at the same time before you pick them up). Green items give you points, multiplying each time you pick them up. Yellow items which come from mid-bosses give you time back.
Getting destroyed before you detonate yourself causes you to lose a life, all of your quicken (not in Every Extend), and a 5 second time penalty.
Beat bosses by causing the required chain reactions.