I guess if he just wants to play games the CD32 will do, but he said he wants as close to a A1200 as possible, which in my mind means one of those SX 32 thingys, which cost more than a A1200 with a CD-Rom. (last time I looked anyhow)
Have a look here :
http://www.amiga-hardware.com/showcat.cgi?CATID=9
Using one of those is the closest I would consider a CD32 to a A1200.