Where Can I Play Hidden Object Games for Free?

Anyone who enjoys treasure hunts or scavenger hunts will love playing hidden object games. Not only do they offer the same wild chase for particular items, they are often quite colorful and funny. And perhaps best of all, you can play them without lifting anything but your fingers.

Identification

All hidden object games have one thing in common: The player has to look for and click on certain objects. Anything from a coin to a secret code, they are disguised inside a complex, often colorful background or scene. The player must discover the object to advance from one level of a game to another.

Types

Hidden object games come in basically three styles:

Find particular objects, such as the seahorse or piece of gold in an underwater scene filled with exotic fish, plants and rock structures.

Solve a mystery by clicking on hidden objects that reveal clues.

Go on an adventure, with each hidden object you find taking you further along your search for, say, a lost city.

All these types of games have one thing in common: They get harder as you go on.

Free Games

While most websites offer downloadable demos or free online trials, a few provide a full game for free. The free games may have drawbacks, however. They may come with advertising, be older games or require multiple players. For instance, when you play Jewel Quest: Online Party (www.iwin.com), you'll be joined by as many as five other players.

Other websites offering free hidden object games include:
Most Fun (www.mostfun.com)
Game Yao (www.gameyao.com/flash)
Well Games (wellgames.com/free_online)
Arcade Town (www.arcadetown.com)
GameDmoz (www.gamedmoz.org/English/Find-The-Difference-Game.html)
Crazy Monkey Games (www.crazymonkeygames.com)
Ener Games (www.energames.com/games/online/hidden_object)
Pogo (www.pogo.com)

Free Trials

For the latest, most challenging hidden object games, take advantage of free trials, either online or by demo download. The trials place either limits on the time you can play or on how far you can advance in the game; after that, you pay. Still, you will find plenty of free samples to keep you entertained.

Popular sites include:
Big Fish Games (www.bigfishgames.com)
Marco Polo Games (www.marcopologames.com)
Planet Oz Kids (www.planetozkids.com)
Shockwave (www.shockwave.com)
Real Arcade Games (www.realarcade.com)
SpinTop-Games (www.spintop-games.com)
It Expressions (www.itexpressions.com)

Membership Warning

Since some sites that offer free trials offer them only as demos, they must be downloaded onto your computer before you can try them. Always use caution when downloading from an unfamiliar site. If you have any doubts, run a WHOIS (which offers information about websites by name) from a site such as www.networksolutions.com.

References

• Big Fish Games
• Spintop Games

Resources

• Marco Polo Games
• Hidden Object Games