Mountain Biking - Bike Opinions/Recommendations for a Beginner

Basically, I got back into biking a few months ago - having not ridden one since I was a kid - when my Uncle gave me his old rickety bike. This has now broken, and I am looking to get a new (and better) one. I have narrowed my choice down to a hardtail, as I think this is all I will need for light trail/urban riding. I've been advised I should probably go for V brakes, as my budget does not allow for decent disc brakes, although this is not essential. My budget is around £200 (approx. US$330).

These are a few of the bikes I've been considering:

Raleigh Resonator (2010 Model)
Raleigh Freeride AT20
Raleigh Gritstone
Diamondback Overdrive Front Disc
Motobecane 300HT
Motobecane Jubilee Trail (2010 Model)

Any thoughts on these bikes, or others of a similar price?

Help would be much appreciated, thanks in advance.

What is the "old rickety bike"?

With the bikes you'll get new for $330, I'd be curious to know what you're replacing and how badly it's actually broken.

Oh, and if it were me, I'd save a bit and get a Hardrock for about $425.

With your budget, I would buy used.

Maybe I'm missing something, but the Diamondback seems to be a >$500 USD bike - you said your budget is like $330 USD. Also, what frame size do you need? Sometimes you can find great deals on decent entry-level hardtails, but with limited size choices.

The 'old rickety bike' was a Diamondback Traverse. I don't have a problem with the bike itself, it's just in bad shape; in need of some new parts and servicing. Plus, it has no suspension... I'm getting sick of that after a few months.

The Diamondback Overdrive, I've managed to find for just under $400, which is a bit more than I can afford really. I just liked the look/sound of it after reading up a bit. I thought I'd include that as well just to see if it'd be worth saving a bit extra or if the difference in quality isn't massive in that price range.

Thanks for the responses so far.

rent; borrow or buy used. your preferences are likely to change by this time next year

Fully rigid (no suspension) will make you a better rider in a hurry if you're riding it on anything remotely technical. Whatever you do end up buying, keep the rigid Traverse, turn it into a singlespeed and ride the crap out of it!

If you save a little more $ there are a lot of fairly decent options in the $400-$500 range and you'll end up with a bike that you're not as likely to outgrow in a year or two.

^...This

Saving up to $1000 would be even better, but sometimes that isn't realistic, and you can upgrade a decent bike as you go.

I really like my 2010 Felt Q620. It doesn't have top notch components, but it doesn't have too many things that NEED to be switched out. The fork kinda sucks, but works to ride with at first (and makes you a stronger rider b/c it is so heavy ;P). Everything is functional, and will work ok until it breaks and has to be replaced. I think you could find a 2010 model (or another equivalent bike model) for around $500? Otherwise used is a good option.

Edit: Oo I just saw you said pounds. So you are in Europe like me. Bikes here are way more expensive than in the US from my experience. Used really might be the way to go.