An engine control method and apparatus generally applicable to those control systems of the engine such as an ignition system, fuel injection system, etc., which are controlled to optimum operation in accordance with the engine operating conditions. In this method, an operation starting timing and an operation ending timing of the control system, e.g., in the case of the ignition system, an ignition coil energization starting timing and an ignition timing (an energization ending timing) are computed at each of predetermined computing cycles, and the latest computed ignition timing, for example, which is computed after the coil energization has been started, further taking into consideration the actual coil energization timing and a minimum required energization period is compared with an ignition timing computed in the preceding computing cycle, and a corrective computation of the latest computed ignition timing is carried out depending on the result of the comparison to obtain an optimum ignition timing.