(FORTUNE Magazine) – KID'S VIDEO Ask your younger kids if they'd like to learn something about music history or theory, and you'll probably hear a resounding ''NO.'' But sit them down at the computer with Rock and Bach Studio by Binary Zoo of Champlain, New York, and you're likely to hear tunes. The software lets children compose their own music and create animated videos, complete with band members and special effects. Along the way a colorful character named Edison invites them into various ''rooms'' in the studio where they can learn about harmony, rhythm, famous composers, different musical styles and instruments, and sound production. Rock and Bach Studio is designed for kids ages 7 to 14, although younger children have been known to spend many happy hours with it. The program requires an IBM-compatible PC with a sound board; a color monitor is strongly recommended. Price: $60.

LOW-FAT ICE CREAM Fat-averse ice-cream lovers who try the new confection from Reuben Mattus are in for a pleasant surprise -- it tastes great. The creator of Haagen-Dazs, Mattus, 80, tested ice cream for almost two years in his suburban New Jersey kitchen until he found a fatbuster with none of the fat substitutes and bulking agents that make most other such products seem so little like the real stuff. Mattus' Lowfat Ice Cream contains only 3% fat (making up about 16% of the average of 170 calories per four-ounce serving) yet has a taste and texture that are virtually identical to rivals with over five times the fat content. It comes in eight flavors, including chocolate, coffee -- a favorite of FORTUNE's taste panel -- cookies and cream, and vanilla meringue, for $2.69 per pint.

GOOD SPORT Imagine an exercise companion who calculates how far you walk or run, counts the calories you've burned, keeps you entertained, and never scolds. Sanyo Fisher's Sportable SPT-1500 is the next best thing. This portable AM/FM radio and cassette player incorporates a computer with a pedometer and calorie counter. Just enter your weight, the length of your stride, your pace in steps per minute, and the type of exercise (walking, power walking, or jogging), and the Sportable is ready. You can also set it to beep when you reach certain goals, such as the one-mile mark or the end of your workout. The player will be available in June for $70.

SUPERFAX When fashions change in fax machines, costly equipment gets thrown in the trash bin. Now Tanji Design of Lanham, Maryland, offers a little black box that can turn almost any old machine into a fax command central, with more combined features than any model on the market. Once you connect the Boomerang between your fax machine and the phone jack, it will store as many as 60 pages of text. You can call in and retrieve faxes when you're traveling by punching in your password and hotel fax number; forward all transmissions to another location; send documents sequentially to up to 128 people; delay transmission until after business hours; or install a fax-on-demand system so that others can call in and request specific documents by number. The Boomerang can also signal some pagers when a fax has come in or require that the user enter an access code to get confidential documents. High-end fax machines with some of the Boomerang's capabilities can cost over $1,000. The basic Boomerang sells for $349; another model that stores 240 pages is $499. Both are available directly from Tanji Design.