beginner - choosing the correct guitar

by tanil

I am a complete amateur but feel the need to pick up a musical talent, and am really keen on learning the electric guitar. However, I do not own an electric guitar only an acoustic one. So, Im only guessing the best thing to do is purchase a guitar and was wondering on how to pick the correct guitar? A little bit of info just is that i dont mind how heavy the guitar is, and price would preferably be lower then £200 ($400). O, and i have heard much about having an amp or not for the guitar, is it essential?

many thanks