Much would depend if this was your total outlay and if so go for one of the prosumer compacts.. From Canon Nikon Olympus etc ..  Your Budget would allow for one of the less expensive digital SLR cameras but then you would need to find extra for a lens or two!

Danny O'Byrne  http://www.digitalartzone.co.uk/

"All the technique in the world doesn't compensate for the inability to notice" Eliott Erwitt