Item Name: Silk Bag

The silk bag will be given to you by one of those hard-to-find lost souls. Our mysterious friend can be located in Storigoi graveyard by dropping garlic in a specific part of the screen; once you get his attention, he'll give you this pouch, which allows for Simon to carry a special brand of medicinal herbs--the leafy laurels that render him temporarily invincible. Once Simon's in possession of the bag, certain shopkeepers will offer to sell him laurels for 50 hearts.

Item Name: The Cross

The sacred cross will be retrieved after Simon defeats Vampira in Laruba Mansion. The cross is essentially window dressing for his inventory, as it has no physical use, nor does it have any physical effect on Simon, himself. However, its very collection is necessary if you hope to enter the Count's haunt; the cross combined with Dracula's ring will supply Simon the block-breaking strength needed to bust open a roadblock at the end of the bridge that leads to Castlevania.

Item Name: Magic Crystals

You'll early on purchase a white crystal from a town merchant. It'll provide limited magical effects, like revealing to Simon's eyes the existence of a previously invisible moving platform. He'll later meet a crystal trader who'll swap his white crystal for one blue--a more powerful orb that'll allow Simon to access caves beneath bodies of water. He'll later trade for the all-powerful red crystal, which will allow him to call forth a tornado that'll carry him to Bodley Mansion and a whole new map area.

Item Name: Hidden Book

Books of this nature can be found hidden all throughout Transylvania, be it in towns, mansions, woods, etc. They can only be uncovered by using holy water (or Dracula's nail combined with the whip) to break the bricks that veil them. Inside each book is a "clue" or "words of wisdom" that will theoretically help you in your quest. While, mostly, they do no such thing (due to the game's poor localization), they're all you have to go on. To see these clues, please visit this page.

Item Name: Dracula's Rib

Dracula's rib bone is the first "body part" Simon will procure. When equipped, the rib will take the form of a classic shield, which Simon can use to block enemy projectiles (fireballs, mainly, since it's the only non-Dracula projectile). Simon can be seen holding the shield when he's standing still or jumping; he's afforded no such luxury while he's in his normal walking motion, having to come to a complete stop in order to defend himself.

Item Name: Dracula's Heart

The heart will be your second Drac-part pickup. When you select the heart in your inventory, you'll be surprised to find that it provides no magical effect, nor does it seem to be of any real use beyond being collectible. In truth, its use is very specific. That is, showing it to the Ferryman will earn his trust, thereby influencing him to take you to Braham's Mansion (where otherwise he'd drop you off in a less-desirable location).

Item Name: Dracula's Eyeball

The Simon's Quest manual states that Dracula's eyeball "reflects the curse." The manual by that measure joins the hidden books and townspeople as a purveyor of complete nonsense. When you have the eyeball selected, rather, you'll be able to see beyond the normal plane; mainly, its selection will reveal the location of items that are hidden behind breakable bricks (you'll actually see the item hovering over its hiding place).

Item Name: Dracula's Nail

Dracula's nail is one of the more useful body parts. When it's selected in the inventory, Simon will be able to break bricks using his whip (whereas he could only do so before using holy water). Most importantly, he'll need this ability if he's hoping to breach the halls of Castlevania, which is barred by a blockade that can be cleared only in such a fashion. (Note: A whip attack will break the blockade only if he's in possession of the cross).

Item Name: Dracula's Ring

The ring is our last non-body-part body part. The manual states that this item represents "a symbol of power," which is vague enough to tell you that the guy who wrote the description has no actual clue. He joins a rather large class who don't, as the ring seems to serve no other purpose other than to complete the quintet. Naturally, you can't finish the game without possessing it (or "prossessing" it), since Dracula can't be reborn otherwise.