If I recall correctly, Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake has a PDA in which you can view tasks/give you ideas in terms of what you are supposed to do. Some of the earlier games did not have a hint system per se, but you could also call phone friends to get ideas as to what to try to do next.
The hint system that we see now in Nancy Drew games, with the hint system in the righthand corner as part of the actual interface, began with (I think) Tomb of the Lost Queen.
I really enjoyed Ghost Dogs of Moon Lake.
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