wow that is an awesome deal for assassin's creed 2. I thought it was a good deal when I bought it for $10

Yep. Noticed that too.
And I bought the 10 bucks offer too, on Steam.
Anyway, it's always nice to save some money but I have no regrets. It's a great great game.
And its real value is far beyond 10 bucks.

ps: I didn't forget the drm issue. Altough it has been "softned" copy protection is still, and always will be, a pain in the a*s.

Do note however that it's a daily deal only. Best get it before the day ends.

DRM or not, it's only $4. I pay that amount when I rent a DVD, and I'm sure I can get more entertainment value out of Asscreed 2, especially since it's been recommended by so many people.

Lets see, rental DVD roughly 90 mins to 200 mins depending on movie. Assassin's Creed 2, 30 to 40 hours... I think I know which one gave me more value for my money ;)

At that price I might buy Assassin Creed 2, despite my dislike for its DRM. I think by now the point has been made anyway.

What's the difference between the normal and deluxe versions? All the description says is "sequences 12 and 13" and "3 additional maps". Are those worth it?

All versions should have sequences 12 and 13 in them. Those were DLC sold on consoles, but was offered to all PC owners for free. The three additional maps were console pre-order maps and yes, depending on whether you can't get enough of Assassin's Creed 2, they are worth getting.

The question is, would you rather pay $3.74 and do without those 3 extra maps, or pay $4.99 to get them.

The good news is, the deluxe key can be retroactively added to a Uplay account. So you could always get the standard version and later get the deluxe one (in another sale) if you find you want the extra maps.

short answer yes but they're supposed to be included in both versions...
longer answer if you don't get sequence 12 and 13 you skip forward to 14 and miss a chunk of fun missions
longest with spoilers: sequence 12 and 13 cover the battle of forli and the bonfire of the vanities both are fairly important parts of the story but were removed as they weren't complete at the time of the console release.

Thank you both.
I guess I might as well pay the extra euro on the off chance that I'll really enjoy the game then.

What DRM is there on Assassins Creed 2, theres nothing stated on the store page.

I thought they removed the always online DRM?

Well they still list the "permanent internet connection required" thing, but I think they actually removed that a while back.
Now I got a serial key after buying the game, so I'd guess it's a single online activation thing, like most of the games on GG.

I think it's a check at game bootup.

Is there more variation in the mission in Assassin Creed 2? I found the first one to be a tad boring and repetitve.

gamersgate has assassins creed 2 deluxe for 3,74 (= ca 4,50€) pounds on there uk site, which is much cheaper than steam takes in € in germany (over 10€).

€4.99

edit: GamersGate will become one of my favourite DD store .

the uksite of gg is a little cheaper, dont know about the us site. with hotspotshiled i could seen the prices in $, but right know i have no access to my notebook