Nordicvision: Colorado; Videocycle: Switzerland

We generally don't review "product-oriented" videos and the NordicVision tape which opens with a shot of a living room skier on a NordicTrack ski machine comes pretty darn close. Still, no mention is made of the brand name, and the three 15-minute plus workouts of Colorado ski resort trails would be equally boring regardless of the machine one used. Besides featuring skiers moving very slow in a Robocop mechanical fashion, the trails are usually straight and, given the surroundings, mostly white. I wouldn't last 10 minutes on one of these "trails" without hopping off my machine to go alphabetize my soup cans or something else more engaging. If you're going to fantasize skiing while trimming that spare tire around the midsection, why not pop in a Warren Miller skiing extravaganza--that's skiing.The Switzerland tape is better, for the simple reason that the towns in Switzerland have more colors than basic white. Plus, the scenery moves a little faster since you're on a (stationary) cycle. Both tapes feature wallpaper New Age repetitive soundtracks, and exhort viewers to check their pulse at regular intervals. But, personally, I think I'd get a better workout by just cranking up the stereo and watching cartoons on Nickolodeon. Neither are necessary purchases. (R. Pitman)