My personal musts are:
1) Manual speed/exposure adjustment
2) Swivel screen
3) As few menu options as possible

Manual settings for the speed/exposure are essential if you want to get into better quality photos. And it's funny how easy it is - where it would have cost hundreds in film, years back, now you can take a few hundred photos and experiment. It doesn't make sense to handicap yourself for later by getting something that just doesn't cut it - it's the equivalent of a plywood-top guitar.

A swivel screen is a great thing. You can do candid shots of people to the sides of you or back, or just with the camera sitting in your lap and them not noticing. And overhead shots over crowds too.

Menu-wise, some cameras advertise that they've got hundreds of modes. Avoid them - unless you've got some kind of insane memory, you'll never find the right one when you need it. If there's more than a dozen or so menu options, don't bother.

PC Plus magazine keeps a log of their current best-buy computer gear, including cameras. It's probably worth checking out their latest edition.

Graham.