Excellent thoughts!
...but once you have worked out one functioning pattern, you can win always against the computer.

I grew up playing games like Aklabeth by Lord British, and the Sierra games on my 16-color Tandy. I agree that once you figure out a strategic pattern it can be reused. However, this is not unlike programming (ie CPAN). In most games, there are clear goals, journeys, and rewards. In programming, you can more often define your own goals, journeys, and rewards. But getting there is still a game! Ref: The warm fuzzy feeling when you concoct the perfect regex.

The last game I really got into was Diablo, but I haven't yet bought DII for fear of becoming a hermit.