Non-violent PC games

So are titles like this even out there? Yes, and if you know where to look, there are a lot. Are they worth playing? Definitely! Here are a few of the better ones.

Gameplay is by hidden objects - in each area there are useful items and devices hidden and you have to travel from location to location using them to solve people's problems. The time paradox is the better game, as it is slightly more refined with a better interface (they solved a few problems with the first one) and easier.

These are fun games - neither took me more than a few hours, but would take longer for a child. Hints are available to avoid too much frustration, and multiple children can play together at spotting objects. Better still, on the PC at least, they are cheap at a couple of dollars each.

Ages: Spooky Manor is rated for ages 7+. Time Paradox is for 3+. Other in the series may vary.

Platform: I have the PC versions on CD, but these are available for download on Android, PC, and even for the Nintendo Wii.

This is an action game, set out in the wilds of Africa. Working for a magazine, you stalk, hunt and shot wildlife as any naturalist should - with a camera. 

There is natural violence in this game - lions stalk zebras, approach too close and an elephant will charge - but no gore. There's no blood, and you never see the creatures eat, but threat displays are impressive nevertheless. The voiceover (in game, your editor and driver) explain each animal's behaviour, making it a very immersive game, and it shows you your articles afterwards with your photos in place.

The only issue parents might have is that I seem to remember the birds and the bees come up on one occassion, handled and explained in a mature and educational fashion.

I've only played the PC version, but it is also available on the Wii. The PC Version gives players the ability to download and share their photos, adding a competitive option that partly makes up for its lack of multiplayer. It's a nice social bonus that gives good replay value to it.

Sponsored by Animal Planet this is a very good and largely underestimated game. It is informational without being boring, challenging without being ridiculously hard, and fun.

Age: 3+

Platform: PC and Wii

The Veronica Rivers series are another series of hidden object games. I played the first, Veronica Rivers: Portals to the Unknown. The lead character is a rescue pilot on the icecap, sent in to rescue a group of geologists. When she arrives, they've vanished through a mysterious portal. She goes after them.

Notable for a very capable female lead, this game is also fun because you are looking for items to solve problems rather than simply because you've been given a random list.

I only managed to play the first as my rather elderly laptop didn't have the memory for the second.

Age: 7+

Platforms: PC

Rescuing a young girl from a cursed tower is tricky, but when she has the power to enter paintings and bring them to life, you will need the assistance of her painted friends to save her.

This is a dark game: the tower is falling apart and the remains of her paintings are all over the place. Unlikely most games, it views this as the problem you are solving, bringing life back to the tower as you fix the problems. It has a lovely feature where objects can be taken from one painting to another to repair them, and into the real world to solve problems.

There's no violence, only a threat right at the end...and it ends on a cliffhanger.

It's probably the best game of its type, although there are a few scares, and the artwork is outstanding.

The second game picks up immediately after it, but my aging PC could not play Part Two. When I get a chance it may be the first game I install on my desktop just to find out what happens.

There are two more games in the series: Drawn: Dark Flight, the sequel, and Drawn:Trail of Shadows, a prequel, but I haven't played them because of the issue above.

Age: 3+

Platform: PC, Android

You play as the famous author/amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher. There are five murders to be solved, in locations ranging from Cabot Cove to London. It captures the feel of the television show exactly, and there is little in this anyone could object to.

This technically breaks the "no murders" rule, but the deaths don't take place onscreen and there is no gore, so I have decided to include this. While there are murders to be solved, obviously, the game keeps to everything to the standards of the daytime television show. The voice acting is good, the plots entertaining, and even the artwork is good. This is a game with a story that will keep you hooked - when I finished it I went back to play it again!

Apparently it also has a sequel but I haven't played that.

There are many games out there that are non-violent: the entire puzzle genre, many hidden object games and even some action and RPG adventures. The real problem is finding them, and I hope this article helped.

If you have any other titles you would like to add, please let me know in the comments.