A control apparatus is provided for a four stroke cylinder direct-injection internal combustion engine having a cylinder and a piston disposed within the cylinder. The control apparatus includes a variable compression ratio mechanism for variably controlling the engine compression ratio by changing the top dead center position of the piston and a fuel injection device for injecting fuel directly into the cylinder. When the actual compression ratio of the engine is higher than a target compression ratio, the variable compression ratio mechanism reduces the compression ratio, and in accordance with the reduction in the compression ratio, the fuel injecting device injects an intake fuel injection amount in the intake stroke and a compression fuel injection amount in the compression stroke, and the timing for starting the fuel injection in the compression stroke is retarded.