According to the site PC Games Junkie, the very first hidden object game was ” Hidden Case Files: Huntsville in 2005. Since that time, HOGs or Hidden Object Games for your PC or Mac have become increasingly favored. Who is playing all of these ‘Find and Seek’ games? What’s the appeal? Are not they all the same after awhile? I shall endeavor to respond to these questions as I look at this genus of games. I have explored Game Forums and Sites, read reviews, played the games, and have written one or two reviews myself, and all the while I have asked myself, Why do I keep playing these games?

Hidden object games usually have colorful graphics, lovely music, cunningly sneaky hidden items to find, a story-line to follow, and additional mini games and puzzles to unravel. The tale line most frequently involves a puzzle to expose, clues and / or keys to assemble, strategies to bare, and journeys to experience! But where most HOGs have these core elements in them, some offer little twists and modifications, bizarre settings and different mini puzzles, to keep them fascinating!

Many Hidden Object computer games include a 60-minute free trial so can be played for nothing. Otherwise they can be played online at sites like GrandMatrix.com. The tale line usually starts of with you being charged with a not insignificant task like saving the hero, finding a murderer or even saving hte planet – no pressure. You are then whisked away to a brightly-colored, detailed drawn and cluttered room, stuffed with every possible object from an apples to a buses and supplied with a shopping list of items to find, and given a defined amount of time and hints.

With this task before you and the clock ticking it’s time to get stuck in! Start scanning the screen for glasses and golf balls, clicking on balloons and books, and smiling with satisfied happiness as you eventually reveal the cat and the cherries! Pride fills your chest as you successfully complete the 1st room, proud of how observant you are, how fast you are and how clever.

Many years ago as a child, I remember playing games of ‘I Spy, with my little eye” while lying in the dark bedroom I shared with my two younger sisters. Our powers of observation and memory were often sorely tested as we took turns and described items in the room, hoping the others had forgotten or never noticed them before.

It can be very rewarding to undertake a challenge and win! After a rough day at work, or simply forgetting about the mortgage and orthodontist bills for a few hours, you can become caught up in the adventure, searching for hidden objects, keys and clues to the mystery. My research has found that most HOG players are adults, relaxing and/or obsessing over inventory lists and missing treasure maps, secret codes and mysterious mansions.

The best Hidden Object Games I’ve played so far have to be Escape Rosecliff Island and Mishap: An Accidental Haunting. They both have excellent graphics, music, story-line, and hidden objects that are challenging without being so frustrating that they leave you pulling your hair out by the roots! You can find reviews of these two games plus download free trial version from GrandMatrix.com.

So next time you feel like a relaxed challenge and focusing your mind, try a Hidden Object Game and go on a scavenger hunt. You never know what you will find!

Looking to find the best deal on game downloads, then visit www.grandmatrix.com to find the reviews and 100′s of free online games to play.