Starter Hybrid/Road bike

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Previously the kind of bikes I've bought have been £50 mountain bikes from adverts in sunday magazines, and I've wondered why I could never be bothered to use them. However recently, we hired some bikes for a day and I was amazed how easy it was to ride - it was far easier to cycle uphill on a rough track that my own bike was to move on flat tarmac. From memory the hire bike was Diamondback brand but I have no idea of the model. However the chap hiring mentioned that for about £200 I would be able to get a halfway decent bike that I would find as easy to ride.
So I've started looking at web sites and come across the Dawes Kalahari on the Evans website for £199 (reduced from 269 or something) and wondered if anyone had (or has had in the past) one of these and could comment on if they would consider this a good buy?
I'm looking at it for light leisure use and commuting (about 10 miles into work) a couple of times a week in a vague attempt at improving fitness in a more interesting way than using a gym.