well, I am going to also recommend the line 6 spider II... I own one, and I think it would be the perfect amp for beginners, it has lots of different tones from playing jazz to metal. It'll get you started, and will be a good amp for quite a long time to come.

HOWEVER, I will not recommend the 1x12 version with 75 watts! this is WAY too loud for someone just starting out. sure, it has alot more features, but that'll only confuse you because you won't know what you're doing yet. I say get the 15 watt version, because:
A: it's the cheapest, at $160, saving you enough money to buy other things you'll need (tuner, cable of at least 10 feet, and a stand will be the bare essentials)
B: it offers plenty of features to get you lots of different tones to try alot of stuff out to see what you like
C: at 15 watts it won't be so loud that you disturb everyone in a 10-block radius of your house! sure, it's not loud enough to be an on-stage amp, but you're just starting, so I'm thinking that you aren't thinking about playing on stage anytime soon anyway.

also, spend the $5 a month on this website, seriously, the thousands of lessons that you get ARE worth it! I'm not an owner of this site trying to sell you anything or anything like that, I'm just a member, and I think that the lessons on this site will definately help you out in the beginning. plus it's only $5 a month!