Mark of the Ninja satisfies my core desire to feel smarter than other people. With reasonably precise controls (on PC) and a quick restart at checkpoint feature, I feel like I am the ultimate ninja. I quietly sneak from spot to spot, never killing, accomplishing side-goals, and always moving forward with high scores and completed achievements.

I find the story forgettable, but it's good enough to justify the advanced challenges. The unlockables and powerups provide nice variety and allow several solutions to challenging rooms. Overall, it's a lot of fun for a patient and cerebral gamer.

I realize I got to the game very late, it's been out for a long time. But it's still available on steam and still reasonably priced. There were even big sales recently, so if you missed it you can keep an eye out for it.