What speakers and soundcard?

Hi,

I've decided I want to purchase speakers and a soundcard which I'm planning to use for basic music recording(like recording my bass guitar) and for gaming. I'm not that sure what the best option is though, I'd prefer it to be geared more towards recording my bass, though having a set-up which is also good for gaming would be nice as well. What are the Creative X-Fi range of cards like(particularly the Platinum version)? Also what sort of speakers should I be aiming for?
Budget is around £250.

Any ideas please?

Thanks.:)