Hey there. I could use some of the collective wisdom of an internet forum. [url= Oh boy...I am so screwed ][/url]

I'm trying to find some very casual games for a friend of mine who's not at all a video game player. I bought the Castle game when it was a buck or two during the Steam summer sale, and she loves the game. It's a hidden-object game that relies principally on point-and-click on a background to reveal items or plot-carrying information. Occasionally, it throws in a puzzle - but the puzzles can be skipped without penalty, and that's also important since she won't look up a solution. It's basically an easier, slightly dialog-driven Myst. Could anyone please suggest some other games out there which might be similar enough for her to have fun with?
EDITED: link to the title, included the game genre. Things I should have done the first time. v_v

Samorost, Machinarium and Botanicula, I guess. Samorost is pretty casual, the puzzles are highly straight forward. IIRC you don't have to move the character around, just click on stuff in the correct order and sometimes with the correct timing. Machinarium is a bit more challenging but it does provide a hint system, you just have to play some mini game and the game tells you what you have to do. I haven't played Botanicula much yet but as far as I can tell it roughly follows the formula of the first two.

Another extremely casual, albeit completely different game, is Triple Town. It's a simple logical game and it's so casual that you don't even have to solve anything, just create as many combos as you can on one map, then you get a reward depending on your performance and can build stuff on an island and play again, build stuff, play etc.. It's some serious hardcore casual stuff.

I Always recommend the first Plants vs Zombies

I found Defender's Quest to be very casual. It's a nice little tower defense game with a story.

If she's willing to download some fan material from the internet I can also recommend Creatures. The game is so casual that it doesn't even have a goal. You just breed your Norns and make that as difficult or easy as you like.

I recommend Peggle. It's a simple easy to pick up casual game that just involves shooting a ball at orange pegs. I got it for my Mom, who never plays any games, and she can't stop playing it. Currently that game is free on PC through EA's Origin client.

Link to game.

Musaic Box was interesting take on the hidden objects there with musical puzzles
http://store.steampowered.com/app/29130/

Dracula: Love Kills is worth a look too
http://store.steampowered.com/app/252890/

The added sliding block puzzles in Broken Sword: Director's Cut are what some people complain about compared to the original but they might suit her really well:
http://www.gog.com/game/broken_sword_directors_cut

For general casual games Peggle and Puzzle Kingdoms are insanely addictive too!

I'm also in with Plants vs. Zombies. It's so giggly and so light-hearted that it's just about irresistible.

They made a Castle game? Ha! That's hilarious. I wonder how I missed it.

PiranJade already mentioned Defender's Quest, which I will second as it is an absolutely great game.

The games I'm about to recommend are all over the map genre-wise, but they are each games I feel are very newcomer friendly.

Bastion - A kinda-RPG (very railroady) with a fully reactive narrator. Absolutely everything you do is narrated which is just amazing. For instance, I whacked some boxes for a few minutes testing out my new sword and the narrator was all, "the Kid just raged for a while." :D

Race the Sun - This game, this game! It's soothing, it's meditative, it's intense, it's everything. Crash, crash spectacularly, explode into polygonal pieces, and then do it again.

Driftmoon - One of the other extremely newcomer friendly RPGs. Sorry, I'm kind of an RPG and Strategy nut.

Mark of the Ninja - I hate platformers. I absolutely suck at them. I adore this game, I can actually play it. Warning, it is dark, and it is graphically violent but in a strangely beautiful way. Like if late-90's Disney made a film about avenging Ninjas.

The Sam and Max series! Starting with Sam and Max Save the World - Note, these games go on sale for 75-90% off rather frequently. They're easy point and clicks with rather good humour.

Penny Arcade's Rainslick Precipice of Darkness 1 and 2 (I'm not as fond of 3 and 4) - A weird mix of point and click and uhmm hack and slash RPG? Maybe? Simple mechanics, amusing writing. Generally easy.

Faster Than Light - It's a space rogue-like. Which means if you are not fond of dying every 5-10 minutes when you first get started you should probably pass. Otherwise, it's one of my favorite games. If you can get past those first few rough patches, it's an hour killing machine.

Trine - Ah, Trine. Beautiful Trine, the other platformer I actually give the time of day. I did find Trine 2 to be easier than Trine 1, but they are both very good.

Emerald City Confidential - One of the other point and clicks I like.

Depths of Peril - A hack and slash lootfest. I prefer this one to Torchlight, but they're basically comparable.

Puddle - Platformer focusing on fluid dynamics. I admit, this one is a bit tough for me.

Enclave - the bounciest RPG! Knights in full platemail leaping into the air and slamming into each other. It's hilarious.

Legend of Grimrock or Paper Sorcerer - Both first person RPGs, LoG is real-time, PS is turn-based. LoG is harder than PS, but both are fun.

GOMO

two hours of hilarious point and click simplicity thats one im gutted I didnt see on the summer sale actually.

I consider a lot of these "highly casual games" to be far less casual than several big-budget cinematic AAA titles that have a Hollywood style presentation but where gameplay largely involves holding forward, or mashing one button during shakycam sequences, or quicktime events, or spending half the playing time sitting around watching more unskippable cinematic cutscenes. At least the so-called casual games actually focus on the gameplay, which often times tends to be fun.

Have to second FTL, very addictive gameplay. What about one of the city-buildeer games like Caesar III of Pharoah? They start very slowly, easing you into the mechanics.

This and this

and some mouse driven games like Alien Shooter 1+2 and Zombie Shooter 1+2.

RIP1+2+3 are great too.

And then you make a perfect jump and just soar above it all for a moment...
I love that game.
The little mini-achievements make it very accessible but I still wouldn't call it casual though.

How about "A Wolf Among Us" ? I believe the series was completed today, it's like an interactive movie/comic book.

Keep her away from Big Fish Games - she'd probably goes bonkers with what's available.
If there's one hidden object game I would recommend, it's Drawn: the painted tower as well as the other two of this series. They're that good, even "serious" gamers should give them a try.