Hello Vader67!
My only recommendable experience with "Hidden Object Games" are the following.
If you like them in a more 'pure' "Hidden Object" style and their story somewhat adventurous with less mystical elements, then the "Samantha Swift" series is recommendable:
Part 1: "
Samantha Swift and the Hidden Roses of Athena"
Part 2: "
Samantha Swift and the Golden Touch"
Part 3: "
Samantha Swift and the Mystery from Atlantis"
Part 4: "
Samantha Swift and the Fountains of Fate"
For "Hidden Object Games" mixed with more classic point & click adventure elements I can recommend the "Natalie Brooks Trilogy". It is also absolutely family friendly!
Part 1: "
Natalie Brooks: Secrets of Treasure House"
Part 2: "
Natalie Brooks: The Treasures of the Lost Kingdom"
Part 3: "
Natalie Brooks: Mystery at Hillcrest-High"
In case you like some Film Noir style detective stories in an interesting comic design, then take a look at the "Nick Chase files". They include a good variety of puzzle and minigames beside the common hidden object search. I do not know, if there were more than those two.
Part 1: "
Nick Chase: A Detective Story"
Part 2: "
Nick Chase and the Deadly Diamond"
Both the "Samantha Swift" and the "Natalie Brooks" series of games I have from their European disc releases. Those are free of any sort of DRM and do run without their discs after installation.
The "Nick Chase" duo, that I have on discs as well, unfortunately install automatically the "Big Fish Games" launcher which wants to connect to the internet if you start them via that launcher. Luckily, the installation can be finished without immediately starting the games. Furthermore, you can simply uninstall just the launcher again before starting it even once, thus, preventing it from ever connecting to their servers! The remaining game files are DRM-free and can be launched hassle-free from their respective .exe files in their game directories.
Other games from the same publisher (Big Fish Games), such as "Robin Hood" or newer ones, are not separable from their launcher anymore...
For a very short and a little bit weird "Hidden Object Game" I can point to "
The Tiny Bang Story", which is available here from GOG.com! Its art style is a matter of taste, and it is super easy, but also cute.
I was really disappointed by a couple of point & click adventure game sequels that turned their franchise into merely "Hidden Object Games", but I guess, the respective successful original adventure games and corresponding expectations biased my reception of those genre switchers.
Kind regards,
foxgog
[Edit:] Another example of a game available here at GOG.com, which is not exactly an "Hidden Object Game", but rather a very lightweight adventure game with only a few objects to collect and more contraptions to 'solve' is:
"
Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise"