Sonic the Hedgehog/Items

Items may be found on the field or stored in video monitors. To open video monitors, use the Super Sonic Spin Attack (jump on it) or roll into them at a fast enough speed. (Press down on the D-Pad while running.)

Picture	Item	Description
	Ring	By grabbing rings, Sonic won't get hurt if he is attacked. If an enemy attacks, you will lose the rings you collected. If an enemy attacks while Sonic has no rings, you will lose a life. Collect 100 or 200 of these in one act to earn an extra life.
	End-of-Act marker	These markers are found at the end of every zone's first and second act. Pass through them to complete the act.
	Lamppost	By crossing through a Lamppost, your present score and time will be recorded. If you fail to complete the Act, you will return to the last Lamppost you touched. (Lampposts that haven't been activated have blue spheres on top. Activated ones have red spheres.)
	Super Ring	Contains 10 rings.
	Shield	Prevents you from losing rings when you are attacked. It will also prevent you from losing a life if you have no rings. However, once you are attacked, your shield will be gone. Also, it will not protect you if you fall off the stage, drown, or are crushed.
	Power Sneakers	Will temporarily boost Sonic's speed. Very rare (only four appear in the entire game) and can often cause you to get hit.
	One-Up	Gives Sonic one extra life, or one extra chance to complete the game.
	Invincible	Will temporarily protect Sonic from attacks. However, it will not protect you from falling off the stage, drowning, or being crushed.
	Spring	Leap onto the broad side to catapult Sonic into the air. The yellow ones send him flying a short distance, while the more powerful red ones send him farther.
	Spikes	Sonic will be hurt if he touches the pointed side. They're usually found in sets of three, but can many can be grouped together at once. Sometimes they're just lying out in the open, and sometimes they pop in and out of the ground (or the ceiling, or the walls). Sonic's temporary invulnerability after he is hit will not protect him from spikes; which is a bug that annoys many players.
	Switch	Jump on the switch to cause a change in the nearby scenery.
	Animal Capsule	These are found at the end of every third act (except for Scrap Brain) after defeating the zone's boss. Jump on the switch at the top finish the act.