Compute! and Compute gazette. I remember when my dad would get those, and I would pore over them, and then spending hours typing in one of the games on our VIC-20, I even learned how to program my own games (more inspired by David Ahl's Basic Computer Games books)using random number generators. Not to mention reading the ads, on all the different games that were out. Ultima, Temple of Apshai, Telengard, Wizardry II (!) and even Wolfenstein! (neighbor had a 64 and we played it once)
There was one we had at School for an Apple II and it about traveling through time to catch the Adversary, it was called Odyssey Through Time and we had another one called World War which was like a Risk game. Plus there were the kids who had copies of Ultima III: Exodus and Ultima IV, Bard's Tale, Shadowkeep etc.
Then we got an Atari 520 ST and aside from the usual chess, reversi type games we had Brattacas and Silent Service. Brattacas was a Sci-fi fantasy game where you were on this asteroid colony trying to find the evidence to clear your name, and the weapons were swords as beam weapons damaged the environment of the colony. You could open any door, go anywhere, just there was always a decision to be made and there was always a consequences. I later bought for it Beyond Zork.
We had an IBM clone much later (about when I joined the Navy) and I bought for it when I came home for leave - Ancient Art of War at Sea (I think I still have it) and later we had Ace of Aces (about the RAF Mosquito), Sim City, Test Drive II: The Duel, Jack Nicolaus Golf. and then I found for it - Full Metal Planet (think Off World Colony) but more ruthless, you had units to attack your enemies with, and a map that changed. It had low and high tides, so your naval or land units could get easily stranded by a lowering or rising tide, plus you had to get your ores, and off that planet in 25 turns. It even had a customizable feature where you could design your own freight company logo too.
