My brother was my source for Commodore mags - Ahoy!, Compute! and Compute!'s Gazette. He would let me read them a few months after he got them when he was bored with them, or had typed in the programs he wanted to type in.
I know what you mean though, Ahoy! had a completely different feel to it than either of Compute!'s offerings. While good, Compute! was clearly aimed at professionals in a business environment with a passing interest in games.
Like how reading Computer Gaming World versus PC Gamer were fundamentally different experiences. Sure, both aimed at gamers on PCs but PC Gamer was more into the action stuff while CGW was more focused on slower paced games like Wizardry or Command & Conquer affairs.
Gaming magazines back in the day were amazing. We had so many options with completely different points of view and angles. I know they discontinued it now but for years we only had Game Informer to rely on for print material, and well, seemingly everything they covered was the next blockbuster in gaming.