To control an internal combustion engine in accordance with running conditions without necessitating many characteristic maps by compensating an input signal by using characteristic coefficients which correspond to the current control mode and obtaining a control target value which corresponds to control characteristic of the current control mode.

This characteristic change-over controller of an internal combustion engine is provided with a map memory means 21 such as a ROM which holds standard control characteristics and a characteristic memory means 22 which holds characteristic coefficients which correspond to each control mode. It is provided with an accelerator opening degree compensation means 31 which compensates an accelerator opening degree signal 41 which is inputted by using a characteristic coefficient 42 which corresponds to the current control mode. Furthermore, it is provided with a target opening degree calculation means 32 which obtains a control target value 45 of a throttle valve 35 which conforms to control characteristics of the current control mode from the standard control characteristics of the map memory means 21 based on a degree of opening of an accelerator 44 which is compensated. The accelerator opening degree compensation means 31, the target opening degree calculation means 32, and an actuator control means 33 can be realized by using a computer (ECU) 30.