diff --git a/game/item.go b/game/item.go
index 54f881b..c0ed303 100644
--- a/game/item.go
+++ b/game/item.go
@@ -55,3 +55,8 @@ func (i Item) Apply(g *Game) bool {
 		panic("shotgun: unknown item")
 	}
 }
+
+func (i Item) String() string {
+	s := [...]string{"", "🔍", "🚬", "🍺", "👮", "🔪"}
+	return s[i]
+}