very first level abes oddysee
 

I have just started the game and have the walkthrough, but I cannot figure out how to get the the secret area behind the barrel. I cant get him to walk behind it.. I dont know what that means.. Help please?? thanks much. (also what is R1??)

Welcome to the forums, dazdebs. :)

Have Abe walk behind the barrel, and then press the key to get Abe to go down. On the PC it's the 'down' arrow (R1 sounds like a PS1 controller button - not my area of expertise).

This can be a little tricky because if you are not in the exact right spot, Abe will just crouch behind the barrel and you don't see him. If you get it right, Abe will hang down from the secret opening and into the next screen below. If you don't go down, just adjust Abe's position behind the barrel slightly and try again.

By the way, that's a really tough area. You might want skip the secret areas for a while and just explore the factory a bit in order to get the feel for the things Abe will need to do to get through.

Good luck and have a blast! I just finished AO a couple weeks ago -- you're in for a real treat (and a real challenge).

hold R1 while walking to run! :D :)