alongside vs together with

[dreamer2009]

Hi there,

I'd like you to tell me if 'alongside' in the following sentence is ok:

'Through this type of exercise alongside word search puzzles I have tried to cover a wide range of topic-based vocabulary.'

Is 'alongside' here synonymous with 'together with'?Can they be used interchangeably in the above-mentioned sentence?
Need I place any commas in my sentence?

Thanks a lot,
daydreamer

[Tdol]

I'd use 'together with' there. To me, 'alongside' is physical location.